Search Results for: septic

Lame Ducks, Lamer Policies

When Michigan voters cast ballots November 6, they did not express support for attacks on the state’s water resources.  But that’s what they may be getting from Lansing between now and the end of 2018. In politics, lame ducks are officeholders whose successors have been elected but whose terms haven’t expired.  “Lame” may imply powerlessness,… Read more »

Michiganders Can Vote for Water

When Michiganders cast votes on November 6, remember that more than candidates are on the ballot. So are water and the public trust. We encourage all voters to put Michigan water’s stewardship agenda at the center of their decision-making. The next governor, attorney general, and legislature will face historic opportunities and challenges. Will candidates for these… Read more »

Michigan Groundwater Emergency

Jim Olson, President, Legal Advisor Dave Dempsey, Senior Policy AdvisorLiz Kirkwood, Executive DirectorFLOW (For Love of Water)Office: (231) 944-1568, Cell: (570) 872-4956 Email: Jim@FLOWforWater.orgEmail: Dave@FLOWforWater.orgEmail: Liz@FLOWforWater.orgWeb: www.FLOWforWater.org Michigan Groundwater Emergency FLOW Report Calls for Major Policy Reforms to ProtectThe Drinking Water Source for 45% of Michiganders Traverse City, Michigan – Michigan’s groundwater resources are in… Read more »

Groundwater: The Sixth Great Lake

Protecting the Vital Resource Beneath Michigan’s Ground Watershed art by Glenn Wolff. 2023 Report—Making Polluters Pay: How to Fix State Law and Policy to Protect Groundwater and Michigan Taxpayers On October 24, 2023, FLOW published Making Polluters Pay: How to Fix State Law and Policy to Protect Groundwater and Michigan Taxpayers (PDF) to provide the… Read more »

Water is on the Ballot, Too

Now that the primary election is behind us, Michiganders will pay increasing attention to this fall’s all-important electoral choices.  FLOW is contacting the nominees for Governor, Attorney General, and northwest Michigan House and Senate seats this week to inform them of the water and public trust issues we think they should tackle.  We are looking… Read more »

Letter to the Candidates

    Dear __________: Congratulations on your victory in the August 7 primary for State Representative/Senator. The opportunity to serve/continue serving your constituents will bring many environmental issues to your attention. I am writing to provide you brief background information on several of them. By way of introduction, FLOW is a Great Lakes water law… Read more »

Attend Our Events in 2024

Elk Rapids Nature Fest 2024 Saturday, June 8 from 11:00am-2:00pm Presented by Green Elk Rapids, Nature Fest is a fun, family-friendly event where you can connect with 50 regional organizations (including FLOW!) and learn more about protecting our environment, explore outdoor education, and enjoy live music, workshops, crafts, food, and storytelling. Veterans’ Memorial Park, Elk… Read more »

Our Public Water, Infrastructure and Health:  Here Come the Profiteers!

Our public water systems are in crisis. Every person and business in every city and town in the U.S. will face increasing competition for water, more and more repairs, improvements, and replacement of crumbling infrastructure or preventing illness or pollution. They will also face the wild card of increased frequency and intensity of rainfall and… Read more »

The Public Trust Doctrine in Action

Editor’s note: FLOW’s organizing principle is the public trust doctrine.  What sounds like an exotic concept is quite simple.  This centuries-old principle of common law holds that there are some resources, like water and submerged lands, that by their nature cannot be privately owned.  Rather, this commons – including the Great Lakes — belongs to… Read more »

Archive of FLOW in the News

A sampling of recent news coverage involving FLOW Research shows Great Lakes algae and microplastics connect March 21, 2021 Scientists discovered plastic microfibers in the Great Lakes are sticking to green algae that grows along the bottomlands in a way that could help keep the pollution out of the environment. Liz Kirkwood, executive director for Traverse… Read more »