EPA to limit toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water

EPA to limit toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water

By Michael Phillis and Matthew Daly, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed the first federal limits on harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water, a long-awaited protection the agency said will save thousands of lives and prevent serious illnesses, including cancer.

The plan would limit toxic PFAS chemicals to the lowest level that tests can detect. 

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

U.S. Judge: Flint has 5 months to finish long-overdue lead pipe replacement

U.S. Judge: Flint has 5 months to finish long-overdue lead pipe replacement

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Hope springs eternal for Michigan legislator who champions drinking water equity

Hope springs eternal for Michigan legislator who champions drinking water equity

In 2014, Detroit and Michigan received international attention on a water issue, but it wasn’t the spotlight either would have wanted.

The United Nations dispatched an official human rights rapporteur to Detroit to document the harm caused by water shutoffs based on the inability to pay. “There was no water for food or toilets or for care of the elderly or kids, people had to go to public parks and put water in cans,” water rights advocate Maude Barlow told Great Lakes Now in a 2022 interview.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Book chronicles human, water connection from nomadic to modern times

Book chronicles human, water connection from nomadic to modern times

If you want to peg the date when humans began the trek to modernity facilitated by a relationship to water, start 10,000 years ago, says Giulio Boccaletti, author of Water: A Biography. That’s when nomads became settlers, began farming and their existence started to depend on rivers and streams.

The book continues through the millennia to modern times when America constructed the Hoover Dam and created the Tennessee Valley Authority which Boccaletti says “became a model for the world.”

Boccaletti is a scientist and an honorary research associate at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at University of Oxford.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Join Bridge, Circle of Blue to discuss Michigan lawmakers’ water priorities

Join Bridge, Circle of Blue to discuss Michigan lawmakers’ water priorities

By Rebecca Fedewa, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Opposition to CAFOs Mounts Across the Nation

Opposition to CAFOs Mounts Across the Nation

By Keith Schneider, Circle of Blue

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Drinking Water News Roundup: Report urges Michigan water-affordability strategy, $191 million to target Minnesota water and infrastructure projects

Drinking Water News Roundup: Report urges Michigan water-affordability strategy, $191 million to target Minnesota water and infrastructure projects

From lead pipes to PFAS, drinking water contamination is a major issue plaguing cities and towns all around the Great Lakes. Cleaning up contaminants and providing safe water to everyone is an ongoing public health struggle.

Keep up with drinking water-related developments in the Great Lakes area.

Click on the headline to read the full story:

 

Illinois:

  • Midwest river towns looking for answers after forever chemicals found in water – Illinois Newsroom

This fall, the towns and rural farmsteads along the Mississippi River received alarming news about their drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Democrats in control: Advocates want action on justice, climate and “stronger leadership” from Gov. Whitmer

Democrats in control: Advocates want action on justice, climate and “stronger leadership” from Gov. Whitmer

Elections have consequences, the saying goes, and for the Michigan Democratic party, the election last week resulted in a sweep of the race for governor and the legislature.

Now comes their opportunity to deliver on long-stalled environmental initiatives.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was re-elected and for the first time in almost 40 years, Democrats will be the majority in the legislature.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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