But much more funding is needed. American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding has now supported $140,471,648 in grants to 24 Michigan communities to address drinking water and wastewater infrastructure needs. Congress approved this funding in 2021 to stimulate the economy when it was recovering from the pandemic. The funds are part of $1.9 billion in one-time… Read more »
Editor’s note: Register today! FLOW will host a webinar on Tuesday, March 21, offering legal, scientific, economic, and political perspectives on the urgent need and critical opportunity for Michigan to finally join the rest of the nation in adopting a law to protect public health and fresh water from septic pollution. The online event is… Read more »
Map: In a newly released study, every fish tested in the Huron River, which is the main drinking water source for the city of Ann Arbor, contained toxic PFAS chemicals. Credit: All photos and graphics courtesy of the Ecology Center, which will host a webinar on March 16 at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the science… Read more »
Editor’s note: Members of the media are encouraged to register for the webinar. For more information, contact FLOW Executive Director Liz Kirkwood at Liz@FLOWforWater.org or (231) 944-1568. Register today! FLOW (For Love of Water) will host a webinar—The Case for a Statewide Septic Code: Michigan Must Inspect Septic Systems to Protect Fresh Water—on Tuesday, March… Read more »
FLOW is reacting positively to the funding for water priorities unveiled in Governor Whitmer’s FY24 budget proposal.
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 »
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 »
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 »
Above: Maps of the collection of drowned river mouths encompassed in the proposed West Michigan coastal research reserve along Lake Michigan from the St. Joseph River north to the Platte River. (Graphic/Megan Mader) Michigan would get its first site in a national estuarine research reserve program if the federal government embraces a proposal submitted by… Read more »
What is the “physical integrity” of the Great Lakes ecosystem and why does it matter? In her latest book, Meander: Making Room for Rivers, Margaret Wooster, former director of Great Lakes United and resident of Buffalo, New York, answers the question. Physical integrity is one of three recovery targets in the Great Lakes Water Quality… Read more »
