Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/category/water/page/53/)
Includes water quality, quantity and use.
A conservation group is trying to unload Michigan’s Rifle River of excess pollutants with help of a $382,000 grant from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
The river meets most state environmental and recreational standards but is threatened by surplus nutrients and sediment.
Legislation has passed and enforcement tightened. Yet leaking septic tanks continue to threaten human and environmental health.
The lack of funds to fix them remain a hurdle.
Ill maintained, leaky and overflowing septic tanks are polluting drinking water sources, rivers and lakes and causing serious health concerns in Great Lakes communities. AUG. 16
Leaky pipes: Researchers find sewage in most Milwaukee stormwater discharges
A recent study found almost 90 percent of storm water outfalls tested in Milwaukee contained human sewage
JULY 7:
Michigan on-site wastewater systems lack state oversight
When it comes to regulating septic systems, Michigan is a loner. It lacks statewide regulations to oversee the permitting and operations. JUNE 28:
Local governments search for funds to fix failing septic systems
Leaking septic tanks continue to threaten human and environmental health despite increased regulations, legislation and enforcement.
Lake Zurich is now supplied by an aquifer pumped faster than it can recharge.
And the water requires expensive treatment.
At the same time, the village’s sewer capacity is strained.
U.S. Army officials propose building a public water supply as an alternative to using private wells threatened by contamination from an old weapons complex near Madison.
Two years after implementing an online tool to reduce the impacts of excessive water withdrawal from the Great Lakes, funding that supports the Michigan project has dropped by more than 90 percent.
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Here is an opportunity for Congress to show some Great Lakes leadership.
But the proposal’s deadline is 20 years away and it lacks funding for critical infrastructure.
A laser developed at Purdue University can shine through E. coli samples to determine what kind of animal hosts bacteria that prompt a beach to close.
The method could make finding the source of contamination quicker and cheaper.
Heavy rainfall often overflows Detroit sewers, dumping untreated human and industrial waste, toxic materials and other debris into streets and waterways.
Separating sanitary and storm systems is costly and time consuming. So Detroit is tackling water before it hits the streets.