Blog posts by FLOW team and guest writers
This is the first in a series of essays by FLOW board member Rick Kane on the vital issues of risk management and the responsibilities of public officials under the public trust doctrine. The issue has special meaning in light of the risks posed by the twin Enbridge pipelines that convey 23 million gallons of… Read more »
What is Happening Nestlé Waters North America is taking groundwater near Evart, Michigan, from a sensitive area of springs, wetlands, and ponds, between the upper reaches of Twin and Chippewa Creek. Nestlé is authorized to take groundwater at a rate of 400 gallons per minute (gpm) from a production well, and send the water to… Read more »
Over 100 Years of Contamination Groundwater contamination in Michigan reaches back over a century. For example, the Antrim Iron Works in Mancelona in 1910 began discharging residues of chemicals recovered from its charcoal production process to an on-site depression that gradually released wastes to groundwater. Although the plant closed in 1944, extensive contamination lingered for generations. By 1960,… Read more »
“Emerging” Contaminants PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are driving Michigan’s latest surface and groundwater crisis, infiltrating public waters with what the media and others describe as “emerging” contaminants. It turns out, however, that this class of persistent fluorinated chemicals, known as “forever” chemicals due to their extraordinarily strong bonds, is anything but emergent. In fact,… Read more »
What lies beneath? In part 1 of FLOW’s new Groundwater Connection podcast, veteran journalist Sally Eisele seeks out the sounds and science of groundwater Up North in Michigan. Listen in on her conversations with children, scientists, and farmers, and personal reflection.
Michigan is called the Great Lakes state but is a poor steward of the sixth Great Lake, the water lying beneath Michigan’s ground. During National Groundwater Awareness Week March 10-16, FLOW is calling for state-level reforms to strengthen protection of Michigan’s groundwater. The Invisible Resource Groundwater is an immense and invisible resource. The volume of… Read more »
Reading Dave Dempsey’s recent post about the nearby wonder and beauty reminded me to take advantage of the wonderful hiking trails so close to where I live, to explore the corners of the scenic Leelanau Peninsula. There are quite a few hidden gems that don’t get the credit they deserve. So this past weekend, I went out… Read more »
This week, FLOW President and Legal Advisor Jim Olson filed an amicus brief in a challenge to a State of Wisconsin permit authorizing a diversion of 7 million gallons a day (mgd) of Lake Michigan water to support the Foxconn Corporation’s proposed manufacturing facility. As discussed below, the proposed diversion raises troubling legal questions and… Read more »
Budgets are policy. Just as much as new laws and rules. So when Governor Whitmer announced a $120 million clean water initiative Tuesday, it did a lot to validate her rhetoric about being a governor who values our water resources. It’s a big change for Michigan. Some of the $120 million in new general fund money will… Read more »
Above: FLOW Board member JoAnne Cook (left) with the late Josephine Mandamin (right). In late February, Josephine Mandamin of the Anishinabek Nation, affectionately known as Grandma Josephine and Grandmother Water Walker, passed away at 77. Grandma Josephine was famed for leading a Great Lakes water walk to dramatize the importance of guarding this essence of… Read more »
