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Great Lakes Echo - Environmental news of the Great Lakes region

Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/tag/contamination/page/2/)

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contamination

Contaminants

Firefighting chemical linked to water safety concerns

By Jeremy Wahr | September 17, 2018

A firefighting foam has been linked to a group of chemicals known to be harmful to infants, toddlers and pregnant women. But it is still kept on hand because firefighters say they don’t have effective alternatives.

contamination

Great Lakes waters threaten Beluga whales

By Lucy Schroeder | July 26, 2017

Stew of persistent organic pollutants harms their ability to reproduce.

Contaminants

New flame retardant threat documented in Great Lakes

By Lucy Schroeder | March 21, 2017

The persistent contaminant is a problem, even though it has replaced a different flame retardant that is more troublesome.

Energy

Octopipelines: Scientists, activists, industry leaders seek oil transport solutions

By Kayla Smith | January 20, 2016

Collaboration between citizens and oil companies could reduce the risk of future environmental disasters.

Waste

Asbestos probe leads to jail term in Ohio

By Eric Freedman | July 30, 2015

Company president gets 30 days in jail, 240 days community service and must pay restitution.

Land
Current State logo

Mid-Michigan to use $500K EPA grant for brownfield assessments

By WKAR Current State | June 8, 2015

Mid-Michigan will be using a $500 million dollar grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate so-called “brownfield” sites for environmental and health hazards.

Wildlife

Winged Wednesday: What does your old couch have to do with an eagle’s health?

By | February 11, 2015

Michigan’s bald eagles are among the most contaminated birds on the planet when it comes to phased-out flame retardant chemicals in their livers, according to new research.

Water

Video: Pine River cleanup reaches milestone

By Guest Contributor | December 8, 2014

Removal of dam rids community of another ugly reminder of decades-long cleanup that is still ongoing.

Water

Photo Friday: Wall that once split contaminated river removed

By Great Lakes Echo | November 14, 2014

A milestone for St. Louis! Construction crews are in the process of removing a metal sheet pile wall from the Pine River near the Velsicol superfund site.

Water

Michigan, New York, Minnesota test fisheater’s blood for contaminants

By | October 27, 2014

Blood and urine of volunteers were tested for PCBs, pesticides, mercury, lead and cadmium as part of federal health study.

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About Great Lakes Echo

Environmental news of the Great Lakes region from the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at Michigan State University.

  • How seeds from the past are saving a unique flower of the Great Lakes

    By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva More than 30 years ago, a group of scientists planted just 4,200 seeds of the rare Pitcher’s thistle in the sandy dunes of the Great Lakes. At the time, no one knew if the new populations would survive. Today, three decades later, the restored populations are thriving and spreading.

  • Henderson holding a swan
    From otters to butterflies: How Minnesota became a pioneer in nongame wildlife conservation

    By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva In the late 1970s, when most wildlife conservation programs in the United States focused almost exclusively on game species, a quiet but historic shift began in Minnesota. It was here that one of the nation’s first state programs dedicated to protecting so-called nongame wildlife emerged from butterflies and bats to bald eagles and river otters. That story is now told in detail by Carrol Henderson in his new book, “A National Legacy: Fifty Years of Nongame Wildlife Conservation in Minnesota."

  • Michigan’s water infrastructure sees improvements, work still needs to be done

    By Clara Lincolnhol The U.S. would need to invest nearly $3.4 trillion over the next 20 years to fix and update drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, says researchers from The Value of Water Campaign. Much of that infrastructure was built 40 to 50 years ago and shows its age. Michigan’s is no exception. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the state a D+ for its drinking water infrastructure, a D in storm water management and a C for its wastewater infrastructure. Funding is a major problem. Proposed data centers would put more stress on the infrastructure.

  • Mussels in a green net.
    Endangered spectaclecase mussels reintroduced into the Chippewa River

    By Ada Tussing To combat the population loss of spectaclecase mussels, researchers with both the Minnesota and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources released over 177 mussels into the Chippewa River in Northwest Wisconsin.

  • Michigan allocates $77 million to clean thousands of contaminated sites

    By Clara Lincolnhol Michigan is pouring $77 million into clean-up of contaminated abandoned real estate such as former factories. The director of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy says the goal is to make the cleaned-up sites safe for housing, commercial developments and other uses.

  • Winter makes curved roads dangerous; researchers seek solutions

    By Eric Freedman Flashing light on warning signs near curves can slow drivers and reduce the odds of a crash during winter weather conditions, says a new study by Michigan State University engineers.

  • The cover of “Dead Moose on Isle Royale: Off Trail with the Citizen Scientists of the Wolf-Moose Project." The cover is moose antlers on the ground.
    Great Lakes books for your holiday gift list 

    By Eric Freedman   Looking for a holiday gift for a reader who loves the Great Lakes? Here are five prospects to consider – and what our reporters learned from interviewing their authors this year.

  • A side-by-side of the historic Portage Canal and modern Portage Canal from an aerial view.
    Restoration of historical site improves quality of life for Portage, Wisconsin residents

    By Joshua Kim Following the completion of segments 1 and 2 of the Portage Canal, local residents and visitors can use the historic site and its amenities following years of disrepair.

  • What herring gulls tell us about plastic pollution

    By Victoria Witke Christina Petalas, a doctoral student McGill University, studies herring gulls to learn about plastic pollution near the St. Lawrence River. Across two studies, she found plastic additives in every bird sampled, which could have human health consequences.

  • Scientists update geological map of northern Wisconsin, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula 

    By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva The U.S. Geological Survey has began large-scale low-level airplane flights over Michigan's Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin to obtain high-resolution data on subsurface mineral structures and bedrock composition. The data will be used to create two- and three-dimensional maps to better understand the geological structure at depths of about 10,000 feet.

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