Water

Photo Friday: Flooding in Michigan

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The heavy flooding that struck Michigan this month is evident in these photos from NASA’s Earth Observatory. The photos, taken from NASA’s Terra satellite, show the Saginaw River on the east side of the state and the Grand River as it flows west from the center of the state toward Lake Michigan on April 5 and April 21. A comparison of the photos shows a much-widened Grand River and major flooding conditions on the Saginaw River near the city of Saginaw, according to the NASA report. The National Weather Service continues to place Saginaw under a flood warning, stating that the river is not expected to fall below flood levels until May 1. The photos combine infrared and visual light imagery to increase the contrast between the water and land, highlighting the expansion of the rivers, according to NASA.

Nearshore

Plant a tree, save a beach

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Landowners on the Canadian shores of Lake Huron are being encouraged to plant natural vegetation on their beachfront property. Planting trees and other native plants on the bluffs can help prevent shoreline erosion, stormwater runoff, habitat loss and climate change, according to the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation. The first step was putting together a guide for lakeshore landowners explaining how they can protect the bluff ecosystem, said Geoff Peach, coastal resources manager for the Centre. “The Bluff Ecosystem Stewardship Guide can provide some advice on how to deal with common environmental issues,” Peach said. “It’s about to go to print, and then will be distributed to landowners along Lake Huron’s bluffs in southern Ontario.”

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, natural lakeshores with abundant trees, shrubs, and native grasses are “living shorelines” that use deep, strong plant roots to stabilize soil.

Echo

Where’s the Concern? Week Thirteen

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Each week, Great Lakes Echo features a photo story about a different Area of Concern designated by the U.S. or Canadian governments in the Great Lakes basin. Guess where the area is located, based on the description of the site.

Echo

Photo Friday: Re-reversing the Chicago River

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(Photos by Lloyd DeGrane, Alliance for the Great Lakes)

The course of the Chicago River, reversed over a century ago by the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to prevent the flow of waste water into Lake Michigan, was re-reversed April 18 to alleviate flooding in the city in the wake of serious storm conditions, according to an Associated Press report. These photos show dark stormwater and untreated waste water flowing into the lighter waters of Lake Michigan, according to the Chicagoist, a popular news blog for the Chicago area. Echo has previously reported on the increasing frequency of urban flooding problems in Chicago and the Midwest.