Blog Posts

Blog posts by FLOW team and guest writers

Blueprint for the Great Lakes Trail

Blueprint for the Great Lakes Trail Melissa K. Scanlan Vermont Law School July 31, 2014 Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law, July 31, 2014. Vermont Law School Research Paper No. 14-14 Abstract: The Great Lakes are vast yet vulnerable. There is a need to focus the public’s attention on the significance of the lakes… Read more »

Yes: Ohio farmers’ harvest depend on healthy waters, Toledo Blade

A great article from the Blade, a Toledo newspaper, was just published which supports the need for a strong “waters of the US” rule under the Clean Water Act. This rule would insure that wetlands and tributary waters of the Great Lakes are not diminished, impaired, and the Great Lakes ecosystem and waters are not damaged. The article… Read more »

Jim Olson Article on Detroit Water Shut Offs

Detroit’s Bankruptcy and Water Shutoffs Strike a Blow   to the Rights and Public Trust in Water of Detroit’s Poor   By Jim Olson[1]             Detroit’s emergency manager filed for bankruptcy in July 2013 to force creditors to negotiate a bankruptcy plan that would slash the city’s unwieldy debt, and, it appeared, to derail a… Read more »

Great Lakes fishery managers need insight on climate change impacts

http://greatlakesecho.org/2014/10/30/great-lakes-fishery-managers-need-insight-on-climate-change-impacts/ Great Lakes fishery managers need insight on climate change impacts By: GREAT LAKES ECHO | 6 HOURS AGO By Duygu Kanver Great Lakes fishery managers worry that their operations may be harmed by invasive species, habitat loss and climate change in the long run, according to a new study. The study focuses on their… Read more »

New Report Released on Fresh Water Crisis by Johnson Foundation at Wingspread Releases

Groundbreaking Report on U.S. Freshwater Crisis  Charting New Waters report provides recommendations for transforming U.S. water infrastructure after 6-year examination A new report on water and sewer infrastructure in this century.  Here’s a business oriented report based on series of convenings by  Johnson Foundation. As you can see, the report concludes with a set of recommendations, one set generally… Read more »

Good news about groundwater – Rutland Herald

“Vermont leaders pioneer public trust principles to address systemic pollution and water quantity issues in this century.  The MTBE case is groundbreaking, because it demonstrates how the public trust principles advocated and demonstrated FLOW’s projects will work for the Great Lakes and beyond, including addressing the toxic algae and algal blooms in Lake Erie, invasive… Read more »

Toxic Algae Problem Likely To Get Worse Before It Gets Better

A featured story on National Public Radio this morning.  The issue of blue-green algae in lakes which took the spotlight in August after the Ohio city of Toledo banned its drinking water for two days.  Toledo could be a wake-up call for people around Lake Erie.    If you missed the story you can visit… Read more »

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 »