Blog Posts

Blog posts by FLOW team and guest writers

Harmful Algal Blooms Causing Toledo’s Municipal Water Crisis

Harmful Algal Blooms Causing Toledo’s Municipal Water Crisis By Casey Spitzer, FLOW Intern August 8, 2014   Fear and confusion spread quickly through the greater Toledo area in the early morning hours of Saturday, August 2nd when Ohio Governor declared a state of emergency that announced that the water was not safe to drink. Toledo’s… Read more »

DEQ and Attorney General Determine Enbridge in Violation of 1953 Easement

On July 1st, FLOW along with 16 conservation, water and environmental groups and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians sent a letter to Michigan Governor Rick Snyder urging greater state action to regulate Enbridge’s 61 year-old Line 5, which transports some 23 million gallons of crude oil and other petroleum products under the… Read more »

Detroit Spirit and Community Leader Passes Away

Charity Hicks, a visionary, cultural, and community leader in Detroit passed away after a serious bus accident in New York July 9th, 2014. Charity had led the fight of the Detroit People’s Water Board against political efforts to privatize Detroit’s water system and shut off water to and otherwise marginalize Detroit’s residents and poor neighborhoods…. Read more »

FLOW attends Northern Michigan Pipeline Symposium

On Tuesday night June 24, 2014, approximately 150 concerned citizens gathered together at Petoskey High School to learn and ask questions about Enbridge Energy and their future plans for pipeline 5.  A wide range of advocacy and regulatory groups were also in attendance and participated in the discussion panel that followed after presentations form PHMSA,… Read more »

Intern Adventures: Courtney Hammer

Hello! My name is Courtney Hammer, and I am thrilled to be spending twelve weeks this summer up in the beautiful Traverse City, Michigan interning with FLOW (For Love of Water). I was raised down south in Roswell, Georgia, but Traverse City is home away from home for me, as I have vacationed up here every summer visiting my grandparents, relatives, and friends.

Local Government Regulation of Large-Scale Hydraulic Fracturing Activities and Uses

Ross Hammersely and Kate Redman, attorneys with the Traverse City law firm, Olson, Bzdok & Howard, have done a marvelous service for local government officials, planners, administrators, property owners, industry, and the public in publishing a cogent, objective article on the scope and nature of local government regulation, including zoning and police power ordinance tools,… Read more »

Water cut offs in Detroit a violation of human rights

I recently visited Detroit, Michigan and am shocked and deeply disturbed at what I witnessed… Every day, thousands of them, in a city that is situated right by a body of water carrying one fifth of the world’s water supply, are having their water ruthlessly cut off by men working for the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. Most of the residents are African American and two thirds of the cut offs involve children, which means that in some cases, child welfare authorities are moving in to remove children from their homes…

Summary – Virtual Townhall Webinar on Nutrient Pollution, Harmful Algal Blooms, and Dead Zones in the Great Lakes

Click here to view on YouTube.com FLOW’s May 13th webinar hosted four speakers who provided their insight on nutrient pollution in Lake Erie. We were fortunate to hear from Dr. Don Scavia, professor from the University of Michigan Codi Yeager-Kozacek, correspondent from Circle of Blue Dave Dempsey, member from the International Joint Commission Jim Olson,… Read more »