Estimates according to a new USGS predictive model. Exposure to some PFAS may lead to adverse health risks. 

​

PEMBROKE, N.H. — Approximately 71 to 95 million people in the Lower 48 states – more than 20% of the country’s population – may rely on groundwater that contains detectable concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, for their drinking water supplies. These findings are according to a U.S Geological Survey study published Oct. 24.​

​

San Diego is a prime example of a city that is facing an urgent need to address the challenges posed by stormwater runoff and aging infrastructure, particularly as extreme weather events become more frequent and severe. The rains of the winter of 2023-2024 served as a stark reminder of San Diego’s vulnerabilities, highlighting the need for a comprehensive strategy to manage stormwater and protect urban infrastructure. In response, a new sales tax initiative has emerged as a potential solution to fund various infrastructure improvements including repair and replacement of failing underground storm 

The staffing requirements, project durations, costs and laboratory coordination of stormwater quality monitoring projects can be different from other monitoring projects.

​

During the recent 2024 Olympics in Paris, many had questions about why some events were being delayed due to water quality in the Seine River. Typical questions were: “Why does the water quality change from one day to the next?” “How do you know if the water quality is safe the next day?” From concerns of E. coli concentrations and combined sewer systems (in old cities, such as Paris) to the sampling and laboratory analysis requirements to obtain E. coli results and different human-health standards for E. coli concentrations, there were a plethora of concerns.

​

A recent state court decision could transform how animal agriculture is regulated in Michigan, and potentially influence how other state and federal regulators oversee the industry’s mammoth waste stream, according to environmental lawyers and activists. 

​

The optimism from environmental advocates comes after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled on July 31 that the state’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has full authority to require industrial animal agriculture to take much stronger actions to manage the torrent of manure waste polluting waterways. 

Older coastal cities, like Philadelphia, New York and Boston are at risk of being inundated by untreated sewage during floods. Due in part to the design of their combined sewer systems and in part due to sea level rise, these cities could be facing a growing public health crisis as climate change also drives more extreme precipitation, according to researchers at Drexel University who study urban stormwater management.

The group recently published research that modeled the potential extent of the problem in a section of the coastal city of Camden, New Jersey, and the effectiveness of one proposed intervention to help protect these communities.

Today’s MI Environment story by Christe Alwin, a supervisor of EGLE’s Water Resource Division’s Stormwater Permits Unit, is from the State of the Great Lakes report.

During a single August 2023 storm, more than five inches of rain pounded Southeast Michigan, flooding roads, closing routes to Detroit Metropolitan Airport, and prompting a declared state of emergency. Such events are no longer so rare in Michigan. Nearly five inches of rain washed out this road in Southeast Michigan’s Washtenaw County in an August 2023 storm. Courtesy of Washtenaw County Road Commission.

​

As noted in the state’s MI Healthy Climate Plan, Michigan in a time of climate change is experiencing historic levels of rain and intense storms that will lead to continued property loss and infrastructure failures.

A map compiled using data and risk assessments by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shows the counties in the U.S. that are currently deemed to be the most, and least, at risk of being vulnerable to flooding from rivers.

According to the figures, Harris County in southeastern Texas has the highest determined risk of suffering from riverine flooding, while Galveston and Brazoria counties also have a "very high" risk index.

East Baton Rouge, Lafayette and St. Tammany counties in Louisiana, Shelby County in Tennessee, Miami-Dade County in Florida and Orange County in Texas all rank among the top ten in terms of determined risk due to river flooding.

The Alliance for Water Efficiency, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to the efficient and sustainable use of water, has been selected to receive $89,648 in funding to conduct a project to identify innovations and technological advancements in water conservation best practices that can benefit Michigan’s water sectors and support long-term sustainability of Michigan’s water resources. The project also will advance Michigan’s goals under the MI Healthy Climate Plan to protect public health and the environment and develop new clean energy jobs by making Michigan’s economy 100% carbon neutral by 2050.

As climate change threatens to warm Michigan rivers, advocates increasingly see removing dams as a remedy

Michigan has thousands of dams, many of which warm rivers, endangered cold water fish 

New state and federal money has given dam removal efforts a boost, but not without controversy

In the quest to defend Michigan’s rivers against climate change, government officials and fish advocates are increasingly zeroing in on a simple strategy that can lower temperatures by several degrees, and open up miles of new habitat.

​

Removing dams. 

Since de-icing with road salt began in the 1930s, the salinity of lakes across much of the US has been steadily increasing, posing a potential threat to aquatic life and drinking water supplies. However, a cautiously optimistic new study in Limnology and Oceanography Letters concludes that if we can hold steady or decrease road salt use, levels in many lakes could stabilize below thresholds set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

​

“For the majority of US lakes, road salt pollution could be a solvable problem, if we put our minds to it,” said lead author Chris Solomon, who studies lake ecology at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. However, he cautions that more research is needed to better understand what actually is a safe level of salt in a freshwater ecosystem.

The federal government is spending hundreds of billions of dollars on a generation of new roads, bridges and sewers — which could be overwhelmed by floodwaters the moment they are installed.

​

That’s because federal estimates about flood risk haven’t kept up with climate change, according to a study published on Monday in the Journal of Hydrology.

​

​First Street Foundation was auditing the gold standard of government rainfall calculations: the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Atlas 14 model. 

Doing less work pays off sometimes. This month, it's even encouraged.

​

No Mow May, an annual conservation program, advocates reducing or temporarily suspending yardwork —especially lawn mowing— to keep early spring pollinators safe until they emerge for the season.

​

"Mowing less creates habitat and can increase the abundance and diversity of wildlife including bees and other pollinators," according to nonprofit Bee City USA. "The start of the growing season is a critical time for hungry, newly emerged native bees. Floral resources may be hard to find, especially in urban and suburban landscapes. By allowing it to grow longer, and letting flowers bloom, your lawn can provide nectar and pollen to help your bee neighbors thrive."

HARTLAND, MI — Officials warn that beef from a southeast Michigan cattle farm contains unsafe levels of toxic PFAS chemicals traced to the application of wastewater biosolids as fertilizer on fields used to grow feed crops.

​

On Friday, Jan. 28, the Michigan health and agriculture departments issued a joint consumption advisory for beef from the Grostic Cattle Co., a century-old family farm near Hartland that sells directly to consumers and at farmers markets.

​

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) believes that test samples indicated prolonged consumption of meat from the Grostic farm could pose a health risk, although the detected contaminant levels do not meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) internal criteria for issuing a product recall.

The Office of the Great Lakes (OGL) in Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) presented the 2022 State of the Great Lakes Report to the Legislature Dec. 20 on behalf of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Linked from the OGL website, the report highlights efforts toward a sustainable, equitable, prosperous, and healthy future for Michigan and the Great Lakes. As you might imagine, there are plenty of numbers involved. Here’s a sampling:

​

More than $1.9 billion for water improvements allocated in the bipartisan Building Michigan Together Plan to be administered by EGLE (Page 7).

60% renewable energy goal in the MI Healthy Climate Plan (Page 9).

In Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) River Trail School hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony and forest planting as it nears completion of an educational green infrastructure project.

​

The school hosted the event on Thursday, Oct. 6 as it nears the completion of a multi-phase project designed to give students hands-on experiences with business and agriculture while also providing stormwater runoff solutions. Programming at River Trail will educate students about green infrastructure through the natural stormwater management system incorporated in the design of the urban forest.

The 2022 State of the Great Lakes (SOGL) Highlights and Technical Reports have recently been released, providing an overview of the status and trends in the Great Lakes ecosystems which are managed jointly by the U.S. and Canada under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. More than 180 researchers on both sides of the border contributed to these reports, which represent ongoing collaboration between the U.S. and Canadian governments focusing on Great Lakes water quality.

As another summer weekend arrives, there are currently 11 Michigan beaches that are either closed or under contamination advisories for unsafe water quality.

​

Before you head out to enjoy a beach day, check to see if your destination is on the current list of closed or under-advisory beaches, so you can make alternate plans if necessary. These closures and advisories are frequently updated.

​

​

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the 2022 notices of funding availability for the agency’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program and the State Infrastructure Financing Authority WIFIA (SWIFIA) program. This year’s funding will provide up to $6.5 billion in total funding to support $13 billion in water infrastructure projects while creating more than 40,000 jobs.

How does a Grosse Pointe Park intersection suddenly turn into a geyser? And why did sewer water back up into hundreds of basements for the second time in three weeks?

​

Homeowners across Grosse Pointe want answers.

​

Several layers in Michigan's E. coli Pollution and Solution Mapper have been updated in order to provide the most up-to-date information. The interactive mapper supports the Statewide E. coli TMDL by providing access to E. coli monitoring results, locations of impaired waters, and information about the potential sources and solutions to bacterial pollution.

It was nearly impossible to even get a hold of disposable face mask and wipes a few months ago. Now, they're everywhere - and they're wreaking havoc on sewage and stormwater systems in the United States.

Each year in Michigan, billions of gallons of raw or partially treated sewage end up in the state's rivers and eventually in the Great Lakes. That pollution can make people sick. There are two causes. One is poor sewer systems. The second is heavy rains.  And climate change could be making the problem worse. 

Rainstorms are a challenge to clean water. They can cause flooding and potentially damaging runoff. But utilities, landscape architects and others are finding solutions — visible everywhere from the county grounds to your neighborhood ice cream shop.

n New Orleans, Mardi Gras is not just Fat Tuesday itself, it's a multi-week celebration. It's also a huge mess.

​

The plastic beads, cups, and trinkets that fly from the floats don't all get caught — even by the most enthusiastic crowds. And after a bead has hit the ground it immediately turns from prize to garbage, especially in this year's rain and mud

Across North America, streams and rivers are becoming saltier, thanks to road deicers, fertilizers and other salty compounds that humans indirectly release into waterways. At the same time, freshwater supplies are becoming more alkaline or basic, the "opposite" of acidic.

The raw or partially treated sewage entering Lake St. Clair — which has contributed to weeks of closed beaches every summer and areas of mucky, smelly shorelines — can be stopped.

Two months ago, Sean Williams and Antique Jett would have driven by the field next to a parking lot in Baltimore without a second thought to the gray structure resembling an infield parking pad, or the grate next to it.

​

But today, they identify instantly what’s wrong. This raised slab, covered in wire mesh and gravel, is supposed to slow down and filter rain runoff before it reaches the drain. But it’s choked by weeds, Jett said.

House Bill 5991, also known as the Stormwater Utility Act, was introduced to the House by Representative Michael McCready in October of 2016. It aims to address existing stormwater utility implementation law in the state, which restricts a city’s ability to adopt stormwater utilities. The ‘Stormwater Utility Act’ describes the regulatory purposes and criteria for the operation of a stormwater utility. If HB 5991 is passed, it would allow local governments to adopt stormwater utility ordinances and create stormwater management utilities to more effectively and efficiently manage and fund their stormwater infrastructure.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an administrative order to the Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) requiring them to resolve Clean Water Act violations associated with the municipality’s separate storm sewer systems (MS4) and stormwater management program.

​

DTPW owns and operates several storm sewer systems in Puerto Rico, including those located in PR-123 Road and PR-585 Road at Playa Ward in the Municipality of Ponce.

A key scientific NOAA resource on extreme precipitation that is widely used by floodplain managers, city planners, civil engineers, developers and communities across the nation will soon include climate trend data.

​

NOAA's Precipitation Frequency Atlas of the United States (Atlas) provides the statistical likelihood of an extreme precipitation event at a particular location in any given year, which—until recently—assumed a stationary climate. These statistics are the basis for planning and infrastructure design and for communicating the likelihood of extreme events, such as storms that have a 1% chance of occurring.

As the world tries to mitigate agriculture's effect on the environment, much of the story can be found in soil, which stores and cycles nutrient elements of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus.

Biogeochemists such as Andrew Margenot, Associate Director of the Agroecosystem Sustainability Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, are set to find answers, but for Margenot and other biogeochemistry experts who specialize in studying phosphorus cycling, the challenge is first being able to accurately measure where phosphorus has accumulated in the fewer than 100 years since humans began to increase the amount of the nutrient element in the biosphere.

Researchers say the extent to which children’s worries lead to positive action for change or immobilised fear depends on how sustainability learning is framed.

​Education experts Professor E Jayne White and Dr Ngaroma Williams (Te Arawa | Ngāti Raukawa ki Wharepūhunga|Ngāti Awa) from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC), with a wider team of researchers, studied children’s representations of water in three early childhood education sites close to local waterscapes - an estuary, the ocean, and a river. They wanted to understand children’s perspectives on what was happening to these waterscapes. 

An amendment to Birmingham’s stormwater runoff and separate storm sewer systems ordinance was approved by the city commission on Monday, May 22. adopting new standards set by the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner (OCWRC) and reducing the allowable discharge rate for stormwater runoff.

As explained by city engineer Melissa Coatta, the commission had voted to adopt an amendment to the city’s ordinance for Division 5, which covers separate storm sewer systems, to adopt the OCWRC’s standards for properties in the city’s separate storm system areas in October of 2022.

Marinas on the Great Lakes are now better equipped to reduce runoff and improve sustainability thanks to a collaboration between Sea Grant programs and The Ohio State University researchers.

​

The project, which began in 2019, aimed to improve stormwater management at Great Lakes marinas by implementing green infrastructure. Five years later, it’s made tangible impacts in Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin through demonstration sites, an online toolkit, water quality monitoring research, and more.

​

“Green infrastructure is an environmentally sustainable way to harness the power of nature to improve water quality,” said Dr. Scott Hardy, Ohio Sea Grant extension educator.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) today announced a new $35 million grants program to prepare Minnesota's aging stormwater infrastructure for climate change. Tribal nations, cities, counties, and other local governments can apply for funding to upgrade their stormwater systems with climate-smart improvements that will protect drinking water and prevent flooding.

​

Examples of projects that are eligible for funding through this program include stormwater retention ponds, improvements to streets to support rainwater drainage, increasing the capacity of stormwater pipes, planting rain gardens, and others.

They committed to specific actions to address flood and drought risk, joining 12 other global cities in signing onto C40 Cities’ new “accelerator” program.

​

Sixteen cities, including four in the U.S., signed a commitment to protect vulnerable communities from severe flooding and drought through C40 Cities’ new Water Safe Cities Accelerator, launched on Nov. 22.

​

New Orleans, New York City, Phoenix and Los Angeles signed on to establish comprehensive early warning systems in all high-risk, low-income areas, as well as develop emergency response plans for flooding and drought events.

During the past fifty years, urban groundwater has emerged as one of the world’s pressing issues. Explosive population growth in cities throughout the world has created an inordinate demand for safe groundwater supplies, raising concerns for their long-term sustainability at a time when aquifers are being increasingly degraded by human activity. Cities less reliant on aquifers for water supply are equally obliged to monitor and manage underground water because leakage from pressurized water pipes and sewers can cause groundwater levels to rise resulting in land instability, flooded basements, tunnels, and electrical utilities. Such conditions can instigate the release of polluted water to urban wetlands, springs, and streams.

​

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) has released the results of its 2022 National Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Needs Assessment Survey.

​

The survey by WEF’s Stormwater Institute explores MS4 sector needs, as well as common challenges facing regulated U.S. stormwater organizations.

​

The 2022 survey analysis estimates an annual funding gap for all MS4s in the U.S. to be about $6.2 billion. This year’s survey finds that municipal stormwater programs across the nation face significant challenges in maintaining infrastructure, securing funding, and addressing workforce needs.

​

In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson told a room full of governors and state officials that he found the filthy river flowing a mile from the Capitol “disgraceful.” Now the Potomac River runs much cleaner, thanks to the landmark Clean Water Act of 1972 — and that adjective employed by Johnson serves as an apt description today of the failures of the Supreme Court and Congress to protect the nation’s waterways.

​

After half a century of painstaking restoration under the Clean Water Act, streams and wetlands nationwide are once again at risk of contamination by pollution and outright destruction as a result of a ruling on Thursday by the Supreme Court.

​

Runoff and river discharge are important components in Earth's water cycle, but as climate change tightens its grip, heatwaves and instances of drought are increasingly hitting the headlines. One would assume that this hotter weather leads to reduced water runoff, but an innovative way of using information from satellites suggests that this isn't always the case.

​

Runoff occurs when there is precipitation, but the soil is saturated and has lost its capacity to soak up any more water. The water is then forced to flow over land or through channels until it reaches a stream or a river. Rivers and lakes are a result of runoff.

​

River discharge, on the other hand, describes the volume of water flowing per second at a given point along a river.

Road salt is sullying Michigan’s lakes and streams. Despite known hazards, salt use continues to increase. Michigan has no plan for limiting salt pollution.

​

In a dim hangar outside of Traverse City, towering piles of white crystals cast a glow in the twilight. 

​

Salts like those stored at the Grand Traverse County Road Commission maintenance facility keep Michigan roads, parking lots, and sidewalks clear of ice in the winter, a prudent safety measure for motorists and pedestrians. The mobility benefits of salt for a car-centric society, though, have an undesirable environmental side effect that has built up over decades of use: extensive damage to ecosystems and infrastructure.

Jackson, Mississippi isn’t alone in its need to urgently address low-income water affordability challenges. With barriers to clean water for American families thrust into the national spotlight in 2022, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) today issued a new report, “The Growing U.S. Water Affordability Challenge and the Need for Federal Low-Income Water Customer Assistance Funding.” The NACWA report shows that rising income inequality is driving heightened affordability challenges for low-income households in every corner of the country, and that federal investments in water infrastructure – on the decline for decades – are currently insufficient to cover the rising cost of delivering water services.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A team of researchers has made a major breakthrough in a project aimed to ensure one iconic Great Lakes species thrives in Grand Rapids.

The Grand Rapids Public Museum and its team of scientists recently documented natural reproduction of Lake Sturgeon in the Grand River for the first time. The museum and its partners – Encompass Socio-Ecological Consulting, John Ball Zoo and Grand Valley State University – captured and released a 6-inch, 4-month-old Lake Sturgeon last week as part of the Lake Sturgeon Juvenile Assessment work.

With growing awareness of the impact of trash and plastics on the environment, organizations will need to take bold action to reduce the costs that local governments could bear.

​

Recent studies suggest that we consume a credit card’s worth of plastic each week through ingestion of microplastics found in our food and in our environment. Plastics are now found in rainwater and on the top of Mount Everest. In short, plastics are everywhere.

​

NOTE: GLRC is a member of the National Municipal Stormwater Alliance, who produced this article.

​

Officials estimate $440 million is spent removing clogs caused by improperly flushed products yearly.

​

On July 1, the Washington Association of Sewer & Water Districts recognized the effective date of a new law that the agency says will benefit the environment, wastewater infrastructure, and residents throughout the state of Washington.

​

Michigan watersheds are still wracked with pollution from decades ago, along with new runoff, said Rebecca Esselman, the executive director of the Huron River Watershed Council.

​

When the federal Clean Water Act was passed in 1972, rivers got cleaner, but not perfect, she said.

​

​

Three weeks after historic rainstorms devastated Metro Detroit, another heavy round of wet weather swooped in Friday, submerging freeways and residential streets and flooding basements all over again. 

Southeast Michigan Resilience Fund partners today announced seven projects selected to receive $1.45 million in grant funding to benefit communities and wildlife habitats in southeast Michigan. The grants awarded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) will leverage $1.85 million in matching contributions to generate a total conservation impact of more than $3.3 million.

After reopening the state’s economy and restoring jobs following COVID-19, Michigan voters rank fixing roads and other infrastructure as their top concern and the most important issue facing the state, a new EPIC-MRA poll found.

Stormwater management is a critical challenge in Philadelphia, especially this time of year. It is fortunate then, that a nature-based approach known as green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), is an economic powerhouse with tremendous benefits that include lower crime rates and reduced health costs for communities and the city as a whole.

Walking across the Stanford campus, it’s not unusual to see flocks of active undergraduates playing soccer, serving volleyballs or just generally enjoying one of the many inviting lawns. At first glance, the scene seems like a poster for the benefits of college in California come to life. What the casual observer—and even most students—might not realize is that many of these spaces are serving multiple purposes. 

An industrial business in Warren is leaking E. coli bacteria into a nearby storm drain, making it a likely contributor to "off-the-charts" E. coli counts found last month at two locations, ultimately draining into Lake St. Clair, officials say.

America has a big infrastructure problem. More precisely, it has a $3.6 trillion problem. That's what it will take to fix the country's aging roads, bridges, levees, water mains and other systems that sustain our communities and economy, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.

In an effort to encourage effective stormwater management practices on public parks, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds released a report, Green Infrastructure in Parks: A Guide to Collaboration, Funding, and Community Engagement.

As environmental regulations on how storm water runoff is handled tighten, property owners are increasingly becoming pressed to manage runoff in innovative ways – or face higher fees from cities and municipalities. Developers are charged by some local governments when stormwater runoff significantly increases the amount of water in storm sewer systems.

Think of flood prevention and you might imagine huge concrete dams, levees or the shiny Thames barrier. But some of the most powerful tools for reducing flood risk are far more natural and widely recognizable: woodlands and green spaces. Trees offer much more than beauty and oxygen. Here's how trees help to protect us from floods.

​

Trees and green spaces hold the key to protecting us against flooding. When rain falls on a forest, trees play a vital role in managing water flow. The canopy of a forest acts like a giant umbrella, catching and holding rainwater before it hits the ground.

Decades of data show nitrate levels in rivers often drop during dry years and spike when rain returns. Experts say more conservation practices in and around farm fields could help smooth out the sharp peaks to protect drinking water and downstream impacts. ​

Widespread rainfall in the spring and early summer briefly relieved a years-long drought in the Corn Belt. But it also contributed to elevated nitrate concentrations in many of the region’s waterways.

​

“The more water that we have in a given year, the more we get, kind of a flushing effect of that nitrate, which ultimately makes its way … into a waterbody and then downstream from there,” said Justin 

Warming water temperatures and increased nutrient levels are putting freshwater ecosystems at serious risk, new research has revealed.

Scientists previously thought warming temperatures caused by climate change and increased nutrient levels due to pollution might offset each other's impact on aquatic life. However, a new study has shown warming waters and nutrient overload is a dangerous combination threatening our rivers and lakes. The work is published in the journal Ecology Letters.

East Lansing received far and away the most rain in the Greater Lansing area Tuesday night because of Hurricane Beryl, and city officials blamed the storm for causing flooding to streets and property.

East Lansing received more than 5 inches of rain within two hours on July 9, resulting in flooded streets and properties, officials said in a release Wednesday. The National Weather Service said it had observational reports from the city of 3.62 inches and 4.15 inches of rain Tuesday, and final observations placed the overall total near 7 inches. East Lansing's wastewater treatment facility measured 6.57 inches of rain at the Woodingham Pump Station.

Nitrate contamination of Iowa’s rivers has surged in recent weeks amid heavy, widespread rainfall, according to data collected by the Iowa Water Quality Information System.

​

Concentrations of nitrate in several large waterways — including the Boone, Cedar, Iowa and Turkey rivers — have recently reached four-year peaks, the data show.

Further, many of the affected rivers also have much higher-than-usual stream flows, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. That often reduces the concentrations.

​

Because the flows and concentrations are so high, the total nitrate load is also very high.

• Michigan has the warmest winter on record, leading to plenty of problems

• One upside: road salt use is way down

• That saves taxpayers money and reduces pollution in lakes and rivers

Michigan’s lost winter has been measured in innumerable ways: Nationwide, it’s the hottest winter on record. The Great Lakes had historically low ice cover. Detroit had the second-least amount of snow in December, with 0.1 inch.

​

Now, there’s one more superlative: Road salt usage is down 37% this winter among Michigan’s 9,700 miles of trunkline highways. Barring a late season snowstorm, the state expects to use 175,000 tons less salt than usual (heavier than 1,200 good-sized blue whales), which would save the state about $10 million.

• Proposal aims to cut phosphorus, nitrogen pollution

• EPA hearings scheduled for Jan. 24 and 31

Proposed EPA standards to control slaughterhouse effluent aim to cut pollution in the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways, but meat and poultry producers will argue during public hearings this month that the planned rules are too costly.

Slaughterhouse owners will “rush” Environmental Protection Agency officials with data showing the cost of compliance at public hearings scheduled for Jan. 24 and 31, said Ethan Ware, partner at Williams Mullen in Columbia, S.C., who represents food industry clients.

The National Municipal Stormwater Alliance has announced that it is recognizing November 16 as “National Stormwater Day.”

​

The date commemorates November 16, 1990, when the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Phase I Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) program was promulgated in the Federal Register.

​

Since 1990, thousands of communities, along with qualifying institutions and other entities, have developed MS4 programs and implemented millions of stormwater control measures collectively to address urban runoff pollution.

As climate change progresses, rising temperatures may impact nitrogen runoff from land to lakes and streams more than projected increases in total and extreme precipitation for most of the continental United States, according to new research from a team of Carnegie climate scientists led by Gang Zhao and Anna Michalak published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

​The conditions predicted by these findings are opposite to recent decades, in which increasing precipitation has outpaced warming and led to more aquatic nitrogen pollution. Understanding the relative roles of changes in temperature and rainfall is critical for designing water quality management strategies that are robust to climate change while ensuring sustainable food and water supplies.

Brooklyn (NY) – (June 26, 2023) – First Street Foundation today released their peer-reviewed precipitation model that captures climate-driven changes in heavy rainfall events for the United States and describes the implications for flood risk across the Nation in their report, The 8th National Risk Assessment: The Precipitation Problem. The US government’s current gold standard for precipitation expectations was created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), known as “Atlas 14”. The report compares it to the First Street Foundation Precipitation Model (hereafter FSF-PM) to understand the previously unaccounted influence of climate change. It finds that, in the worst cases, what is currently estimated to be an infrequent and severe 1-in-100-year flood event, is a much more frequent 1-in-8-year event.

A recently released report, 'Pathways to Living Cities: A Policy and Governance Framework', a collaboration between Green Communities Canada and researchers at the University of Toronto, shows how green infrastructure can benefit cities.

​

HUMANS ARE INTUITIVELY DRAWN TO THE natural environment. It is the context in which we have come to evolve as humans in the first place, after all. It calls to us. It calms our nervous system.

Think of the feeling you get when walking through a barren, paved parking lot on a hot summer day. Uncomfortable, maybe a bit suffocated. Then, think of the feeling of walking through a neighborhood lined with mature trees in full bloom, birds twittering in the branches above. A feeling of relief, maybe of aliveness and connection with your surroundings.

From sunshine and 55-plus degree weather to snow and freezing temperatures just a few days later, climate change is affecting winter in the Motor City. This winter is one of the top 10 warmest on record for Detroit, and the city has received a foot less snow than the average for this time of year, according to Ian Lee, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service. 

​

“We’ve had a little over 19 inches of snow and normally through this point in the season we’d be at 31 inches,” Lee told BridgeDetroit, based on averages from historical records going back to the late 1800s. 

​

The sunshine and warm weather last week was welcomed by some Detroiters, but experts say it’s part of a larger climate change crisis caused by human activities that release greenhouse gas emissions, like burning fossil fuels for transportation and electricity. 

LANSING – Volunteers in Gaithersburg, Maryland, are fighting road salt pollution with catchy sayings painted on snowplow blades.

​

The group is in the hometown of the Izaak Walton League, a national environmental conservancy that created a nationwide program to monitor chloride levels and advocate for reduced use of road salt. The group has recorded high chloride readings in cities across the Midwest and the Northeast, with the highest concentrations in Michigan.

​

​Road salt contains chloride, a toxic compound that dissolves in water. When it’s applied to icy surfaces in the winter, it can drain into streams and lakes.

​Consumers Energy’s license to generate hydropower at the Alcona Dam, on the Au Sable River, expires in 2034. The company is now considering the fate of Alcona and 12 other dams that generate small amounts of expensive power, and need hundreds of millions of dollars in maintenance and upgrades.

Consumers Energy is considering whether to keep its 13 hydropower dams on MI rivers

The dams are environmentally and financially costly, and deliver little energy. But their reservoirs are beloved for recreation 

The outcome could dramatically alter Michigan’s rivers and surrounding communities

A call from a concerned landowner in 2008 prompted the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) to overhaul its erosion control specifications. The landowner had noticed more than 50 northern water snakes, a state species of greatest conservation need, entangled in plastic erosion control netting along a local road. Chris Slesar, environmental resources coordinator with VTrans, took the call and removed as many snakes as he could. After the incident he asked VTrans engineers if there was a product that would control erosion but allow wildlife to escape.

Green infrastructure provides simple changes that can transform the feel of community while improving the resiliency of an urban city design. 

​

With more intense storms and flood events in urban areas, green infrastructure brings essential benefits that continue to rise in value. Green infrastructure is often defined as a range of design measures that aim to reduce the impact of storm events on existing sewer infrastructure by detaining and treating stormwater locally, helping to divert excess flows away from local waterways, streets, businesses, and homes. 

Evenly trimmed lawns and crisply edged plant beds filled with dyed brown, red, or black mulch. Sheared evergreen shrubs and plants bred for vibrant flowers or patterned leaves. Plants spaced far apart within wide expanses of mulch—seasonal appearances of chrysanthemums, pansies, and other annuals. You may recognize this combination of landscape components and traits: the residential yard norm permeates the varied geographic regions of the U.S. and has withstood the test of time.

Heavy and frequent rainfall is not typical for July in Michigan, but Ingham County and other areas are experiencing it.

​

"It is growing consensus that the weather we’re experiencing this year is very likely due to climate change or it’s worsened by climate change,” ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry professor Stephen Hamilton said.

Massive amounts of green are being spent to find “green” ways to prevent basements, yards, streets and freeways in Detroit from flooding during heavy storms like one last month.

​

Of $100 million pumped each year into infrastructure upgrades for the city’s aging water and sewer systems, $10 million goes toward installing detention ponds, bioswales, rain gardens and permeable pavement. Called green stormwater infrastructure, the features hold and slowly release rainfall into sewers, lessening flooding that has plagued Detroit and other older cities for decades.

Stormwater runoff and sewage overflow issues after heavy rains this week have caused problems at some popular beach spots across Michigan. Heading into the weekend, at least 17 beaches across the state were either closed or had contamination advisories issued by the state, as of this morning.

A $2 million settlement reached in a class-action lawsuit against the city of Royal Oak required the city to change how it bills residents for debt service on the Oakland County Water Resources Commission’s George W. Kuhn Drain.

​

​

By early next year Royal Oak residents and businesses will start being billed for stormwater fees based on how much water runoff their properties generate.
 

The new billing system will replace charges that used to show up on city water bill

When rain comes to Los Angeles, a certain kind of relief sets in. The land springs to life. The dust and grit and oil slick, accumulated over a summer of dry weather, gets washed away down storm drains. Everything gleams anew.

Ann Arbor's stormwater system was developed decades ago to meet the needs of a smaller, drier city, and it's not enough to handle today's storms, says Mayor Christopher Taylor.

​

That's why some neighborhoods and other areas of the city have experienced recurring flooding problems during heavy rains.

The National Science Foundation has awarded a multidisciplinary research group, led by Assoc. Engineering Prof. Jonathan Goodall, $2.5 million to pursue research in the management of stormwater and transportation during flood events in Norfolk, Va.

​

The Michigan City Sanitary District has been awarded a $650,000 grant for the Cheney Run Wetland Project. The grant, awarded by Sustain Our Great Lakes, will help the City create approximately five acres of wetlands on Trail Creek to manage and treat stormwater from the Cheney Run stormwater sewer system. The wetlands will improve water quality in Trail Creek and Lake Michigan, increase recreation opportunities, and improve habitat for animals and plants.

“It’s not just pipes-and-pumps-plumbing,” he says. “It’s using natural flow, it’s using storage, it’s getting infiltration, getting water into ground, and into the groundwater system.”