Blog Posts

Blog posts by FLOW team and guest writers

FLOW and Allies File Amicus Brief with Michigan Supreme Court to Protect Waterways from Industrial Agriculture Pollution

February 23, 2023

Photo: A harmful algae bloom causing a dead zone in Lake Erie primarily due to excess agricultural nutrient pollution. Editor’s note: Members of the media can reach Zach Welcker, FLOW Legal Director, at Zach@flowforwater.org or (231) 944-1568. Lansing, MI – Eleven environmental groups, including FLOW (For Love of Water) late last week filed an amicus or “friend of… Read more »

Regulating the Victims: The Backwards Nature of the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act

February 22, 2023

When Americans think of environmental laws, they tend to think of standards that control the pollution released by businesses, industries, sewage plants, and incinerators. This puts the stewardship duty and cost on those who generate the pollution, and provides an economic incentive to reduce waste. To an extent, taxpayers are subsidizing the private sector instead… Read more »

From Wastelands to Wetlands: Once Condemned, Now Celebrated

February 2, 2023

World Wetlands Day, celebrated annually on February 2, is not only an opportune time to appreciate these special ecosystems, but also to understand why we destroyed so many until recently. Michiganders especially need to know this history, and what residents of the Great Lakes State can do to write new chapters in the understanding and… Read more »

How Are We Using Great Lakes Water and Groundwater?

January 26, 2023

Above: Watershed art by Glenn Wolff. By Bob Otwell, FLOW Board member A Great Lakes water use report recently released by the Great Lakes Commission provides an important snapshot of the kinds and volumes of water withdrawals in the region. The report found that an average 37.5 billion gallons of water per day were withdrawn… Read more »

Keep Michigan’s Water Affordable and in Public Hands

January 19, 2023

Photo: Liz Kirkwood is Executive Director of FLOW (For Love Of Water), the Great Lakes law and policy center based in Traverse City, Michigan. Reach her at liz@flowforwater.org. Editor’s note: The following op-ed originally appeared Jan. 17, 2023, in Bridge Michigan. Michigan is a water wonderland — think Great Lakes, 36,000 miles of rivers and… Read more »

Opinion // Keep Michigan water affordable and in public hands

January 17, 2023

By: Liz Kirkwood, Executive Director January 17, 2023 // Bridge Michigan Michigan is a water wonderland — think Great Lakes, 36,000 miles of rivers and streams, groundwater that supplies 45 percent of our state with drinking water, and more than 6 million acres of wetlands. But these waters face a daunting array of challenges, everything… Read more »