Flow Water Advocates opposes Gratiot County CAFO permit

Published on October 31st, 2025 by - Blog Posts, Reports & Media Releases

Flow Water Advocates and commenters oppose Gratiot County CAFO expansion; request public hearing.

DOWNLOAD: Comments and Request for Public Hearing on Draft Permit MI0060380, KB Farm LLC-CAFO (PDF) 

Traverse City, Mich. — Flow Water Advocates (“Flow”), on behalf of its thousands of members, is joined by concerned Michigan residents and organizations in filing public comments opposing a NPDES-CAFO Individual Permit for a 3,450-head dairy CAFO expansion proposed by KB Dairy LLC. The proposed expansion is contiguous with and uses the same address as the 8,400-animal De Saegher Dairy in Middleton, Michigan. If approved, the permit would create the largest dairy CAFO in Michigan. Flow and co-signers ask the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to deny the permit, and hold a local public hearing to facilitate awareness and meaningful public participation.

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), commonly referred to as factory farms, are large livestock facilities that house several hundred to tens of thousands of animals. Gratiot County is home to some of the largest dairy CAFOs in Michigan, and over 400 million gallons of CAFO animal wastes are spread on saturated fields each year — equivalent to the daily sewage generated by Los Angeles County. Dennis Kellogg, a sixth-generation farmer in Gratiot County, describes the CAFO waste management practices:

“When the CAFOs spread their manure, there is required to be a reasonable setback distance from the edge of the field. I’ve noticed they apply right up to the lot lines of residences, businesses, schools, and other public use areas…These facilities are polluting our local communities with excessive amounts of manure, and are not being held accountable for it. Who pays the price for this?“

The comments detail several concerns, including improper separate permitting of the fully contiguous proposed KB Dairy CAFO, which is owned by the same investment corporation as the De Saegher CAFO; failure of the existing De Saegher CAFO to obtain the required groundwater discharge permit; deficiencies in the Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP); and the public health threat posed by groundwater contamination in a rural area that relies on private wells for drinking water.

The comments also note EGLE’s obligations under the public trust doctrine and the Michigan Environmental Protection Act (MEPA) to protect Michigan’s water from impairment, for the benefit of all residents.

“These massive livestock operations have contributed to unchecked environmental destruction and soaring cancer rates in other parts of the upper Midwest,” says Carrie La Seur, Legal Director for Flow Water Advocates. “Michiganders take rightful pride in their role as defenders of the Great Lakes. It’s time to take a stand for healthy food, healthy animals, and healthy water.”

Flow is joined in its comments by the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, farmer Dennis Kellogg, Michigan Farmers Union, Michigan Lakes and Streams Association, Michigan Organic Food & Farm Alliance, Michiganders for a Just Farming System, Progress Michigan, and Socially Responsible Agriculture Project.

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Flow Water Advocates is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Traverse City, Michigan. Our mission is to ensure the waters of the Great Lakes Basin are healthy, public, and protected for all. With a staff of legal and policy experts, strategic communicators, and community builders, Flow is a trusted resource for Great Lakes advocates. We help communities, businesses, agencies, and governments make informed policy decisions and protect public trust rights to water. Learn more at www.FlowWaterAdvocates.org.

Flow appeals EGLE rejection of FOIA request; seeks public disclosure of factory farm sewage land application.

Published on October 29th, 2025 by - Blog Posts, Reports & Media Releases

Traverse City, Mich. — Flow Water Advocates (“Flow”) has filed an administrative appeal of a Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) decision to reject Flow’s FOIA requests for logs Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are required by permit to maintain and disclose to EGLE and the public. These logs from fourteen CAFOs provide details on land application of livestock sewage in a heavily impacted watershed. As Great Lakes water quality and access advocates, Flow has a long-standing interest in protecting Michigan’s surface and drinking water.

CAFOs, commonly referred to as factory farms, are large livestock facilities that house several hundred to tens of thousands of animals, producing sewage equivalent to large cities. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) permitting program under the Clean Water Act regulates their animal waste disposal. CAFO operators typically dispose of waste by applying it to fields — often in amounts far greater than can be taken up by the soil and crops. Rural watersheds across Michigan, and in turn the Great Lakes, are heavily impacted by CAFO waste runoff and leaching.

“For many rural residents, dealing with CAFO odors, runoff, heavy trucking, and water quality destruction — surface and ground — has become an exhausting, expensive, year-round ordeal,” says Flow Legal Director Carrie La Seur. “Michigan has something priceless in its natural heritage. This is not just a paperwork exercise, it’s essential information citizens need to protect their health and quality of life.”

The logs detail the time, date, quantity, method, location, and application rate for each location where CAFO wastes are applied to land; a description of the weather conditions at the time; and whether the land was frozen or snow-covered. Crucially, they also include the total amount of nitrogen and phosphorus applied to each field that receives CAFO wastes. Overloading these nutrients can cause toxic algal blooms, closed beaches, and fish kills. The disclosure Flow seeks is critical to understanding how CAFO waste impacts lakes, streams, and other waters.

By Michigan law, the public has the right to access any document “prepared, owned, used, in the possession of, or retained by a public body in the performance of an official function, from the time it is created” (MCL 15.232). If the documents do not exist, the failure to maintain records by all fourteen CAFOs would represent egregious NPDES permit violations, and require immediate enforcement action by EGLE to protect the health of Michiganders.

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Flow Water Advocates is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Traverse City, Michigan. Our mission is to ensure the waters of the Great Lakes Basin are healthy, public, and protected for all. With a staff of legal and policy experts, strategic communicators, and community builders, Flow is a trusted resource for Great Lakes advocates. We help communities, businesses, agencies, and governments make informed policy decisions and protect public trust rights to water. Learn more at www.FlowWaterAdvocates.org.

The haunting history of Michigan’s 240 lighthouses.

Published on October 29th, 2025 by - Blog Posts

The Great Lakes are home to more than 240 lighthouses — more than any other region in the world. Built to protect sailors from treacherous reefs, storms, and shifting shoals, these monuments have also become haunting echoes of the past.

Michigan's 4 most haunted lighthouses

1. Seul Choix Point Lighthouse

One of the most famous haunted lighthouses is Seul Choix Point Lighthouse on Lake Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Built in the late 1800s, it’s said to be haunted by its longtime keeper, Captain Joseph Willie Townsend, who died there in 1910. Visitors and staff report the scent of his cigar smoke lingering in empty rooms, rocking chairs moving on their own, and heavy footsteps echoing in the tower when no one is inside. Some claim to have seen Townsend’s apparition gazing out toward the lake, still keeping watch over the waves he once guided sailors through.

Read more

2. Big Bay Point Lighthouse

Further south, on the western shore of Lake Superior, stands the Big Bay Point Lighthouse near Marquette. This red brick structure, now a bed-and-breakfast, carries a grim legend. The assistant keeper reportedly took his own life after a falling out with the head keeper. Guests and staff have since reported doors opening and closing by themselves, glowing lights in empty rooms, and the sound of boots pacing the tower stairs late at night. Even skeptics admit that the lighthouse has an uncanny energy once it gets dark.

Read more

3. The White River Light Station

The White River Light Station, near Whitehall on Lake Michigan was built in 1876 to mark the channel between White Lake and Lake Michigan. The White River Light Station has stood as a steadfast guardian for nearly 150 years. Its first keeper, Captain William Robinson, tended the light faithfully for 44 years until his death inside the lighthouse. Locals say that he and his wife, Sarah, never truly left. Visitors and staff have reported unexplained footsteps, faint voices, and doors that open or close on their own, as if the devoted couple still watches over the tower and its 38-foot beacon, keeping it shining across the lake.

Read more

4. Presque Isle Lighthouse

Another eerie legend comes from Presque Isle Lighthouse on Lake Huron. The original keeper’s wife, Emily, was said to have loved the light so dearly that after her death, locals began seeing the beacon mysteriously shining at night — even though the lantern had been dismantled. To this day, some claim to see her spectral figure inside the tower windows, ensuring that ships find their way home.

Read more

These haunted lighthouses remind us that the Great Lakes, for all their beauty, have always been places of peril and devotion. The spirits said to dwell in these towers seem bound not by fear or malice, but by duty. These are the stories of lighthouse keepers who, even in death, refuse to abandon their post. On foggy nights, when the beam cuts through the darkness, it’s easy to imagine that somewhere up in the lantern room, a ghostly hand is still tending the light. 

Only one question remains: Would you make a visit?

Get to know the Michigan Water Trust Fund Act.

Published on October 29th, 2025 by - Blog Posts, Reports, Reports & Media Releases

Michigan’s water infrastructure and affordability needs are critical and underfunded. Too many Michiganders struggle to pay their water bills, while rural and urban communities alike struggle with aging systems and contamination. That’s why a coalition of water advocates has developed the Michigan Water Trust Fund Act to protect water quality, advance water equity, and ensure that the waters of the State remain a public resource.

The proposed legislation:

  • Establishes a trust fund, modeled on the successful Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, to support Michigan’s critical water needs.
  • Collects revenue through a $0.25 per gallon royalty paid by bottled water companies — legally distinct from a “tax” or “special assessment” under Michigan law.
  • Generates approximately $300 million annually to invest in water infrastructure, equity, and affordability, without raising taxes or water rates.
  • Ensures that the waters of the Great Lakes and their tributary rivers and streams remain in the public domain and are protected against privatization and financialization.
  • Affirms the Public Trust Doctrine as the framework for the protection and management of public waters.
Download the PDF

The legislation imposes a royalty of 25 cents per gallon on the sale of public water, which would raise approximately $300 million annually. Download the PDF and learn more! 

Download the PDF

Nov. 8: ‘Shop Your Community Day’ shows love to the Great Lakes!

Published on October 22nd, 2025 by - Blog Posts

On Saturday, November 8, 2025, Downtown Traverse City will host its annual Shop Your Community Day, a cherished event where 15% of every purchase at participating local businesses is donated to your choice of 30 nonprofit organizations. This initiative offers shoppers the unique opportunity to support both local businesses and meaningful causes, fostering a stronger, more connected community.

This year, Flow Water Advocates is one of the nonprofits selected to participate in this event! By choosing Flow Water Advocates as your designated nonprofit while you shop, you contribute directly to efforts aimed at preserving the state’s vital water systems for future generations.

Participating in Shop Your Community Day is simple:

  1. Shop at any participating downtown merchant on November 8.
  2. Select Flow Water Advocates from the provided list of nonprofits.
  3. Enjoy the satisfaction of knowing your purchase supports a cause that safeguards Michigan’s water heritage.

This event not only boosts local businesses but also amplifies the impact of organizations like Flow Water Advocates, enabling them to continue their essential work in environmental stewardship. Mark your calendars and join us in making a difference this November 8. Together, we can shop, support, and safeguard our community’s future.

Explore the event

Michigan’s new FY 2025-26 budget, and what it means for water.

Published on October 21st, 2025 by - Blog Posts

Flow’s mission is to ensure Michigan’s waters are healthy, public, and protected for everyone. Our priorities include water infrastructure funding, tackling nitrate contamination in drinking water, factory farm pollution, and the need for a statewide septic code. We track state budgets closely because they signal real-world priorities.

The newly approved FY 2025-26 budgets for Michigan’s environmental agencies offer both encouraging developments and areas of concern.

Signs of progress.

Several bright spots align with Flow’s goals.

The budget maintains investments in drinking water infrastructure. Lead service line replacement efforts received a net increase of $13.4 million, and another $34 million is set aside for local water projects through the State Revolving Fund. While much of this funding is one-time rather than permanent, it represents real dollars for pipes, treatment upgrades, and safer drinking water in the near future.

There is also forward progress on transparency. New reporting requirements will make the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) more accountable for how quickly it issues permits and how well it meets performance targets. These kinds of changes don’t grab headlines, but they matter, especially when communities struggle to understand or navigate the regulatory process.

One especially helpful provision is a new investment in permitting guidebooks for industries like large livestock operations. For groups like Flow working to halt pollution from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), clearer rules mean fewer loopholes and stronger protections for lakes, streams, groundwater, and rural communities.

Areas Michigan must not ignore.

Still, there are warning signs worth watching.

The State Revolving Fund—the backbone of Michigan’s water infrastructure financing system—lost $34 million in ongoing annual support, which was replaced with one-time funding. In other words, the funding exists for now, but it’s no longer guaranteed in future years. That kind of uncertainty makes it harder for small towns and rural communities to plan long-term water projects.

An even more glaring omission is the decision not to fund a statewide septic system database. Michigan remains the only state in the country without a uniform septic code, and failing septic systems are a major source of groundwater and drinking water contamination—especially in areas already facing nitrate pollution. Knowing where systems are, and whether they’re failing, is the first step toward fixing them. That step is now delayed.

Another area of grave concern is reduced staffing. Across EGLE, the DNR, and the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD), the FY 2025-26 budget reflects a net loss of 49 full-time positions compared to the previous year. EGLE alone loses 15 positions, including staff responsible for water quality programs, contaminated site remediation, and municipal water assistance. The DNR loses 30 positions, and MDARD loses four, including staff involved in pesticide management and laboratory monitoring.

These reductions may look like mere numbers on paper, but they translate directly to fewer boots on the ground—fewer inspectors, engineers, hydrologists, and scientists who ensure that permits are enforced, wells are tested, pollution is contained, and communities receive timely support. Michigan’s environmental laws are only as strong as the departments tasked with administering them. When staffing is cut, delays grow longer, backlogs increase, and the state’s ability to respond to urgent, immediate, and emerging threats—whether from PFAS, nitrates, failing septic systems, or industrial spills— diminishes.

Michigan has made meaningful investments in water infrastructure and transparency. To fully realize those gains, the state must also preserve the workforce required to carry them out.

Moving forward.

The takeaway is not that Michigan is abandoning clean water efforts—but that much of the current progress depends on temporary funding. That leaves big questions for long-term water protection.

Flow will continue to advocate for permanent, reliable infrastructure funding, stronger well and septic oversight, and protections for rural communities facing pollution burdens.

Budgets reflect priorities. This one keeps Michigan moving, but not yet fast enough toward the stable, long-term protections that our water and people deserve.

Reflections from the 2025 Great Lakes Conference

Published on October 21st, 2025 by - Blog Posts

Carolan Sonderegger, Policy Director

I attended the 2025 Great Lakes Conference expecting good content, but what stood out most wasn’t any single presentation or data point—it was the high level of collaboration happening across the region. Whether it was researchers, tribal leaders, farmers, nonprofit practitioners, or municipal officials, everyone was focused on the same core idea: we keep the Great Lakes clean by working together.

Collaboration as a practical tool.

Every session I attended reinforced that relationships are just as important as research or policy frameworks. The teams behind projects like Genesee RiverWatch and Rochester Ecology Partners showed how environmental work lands better when people are directly connected to their local water—through community science, internships, paddling trips, or even school garden programs.

The breakout on regional collaboration for funding made the message especially clear:

Step one is not writing the grant. Step one is finding the people who will write it with you.

Programs across Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio shared examples of watershed coalitions that succeeded not by having perfect plans, but by staying in the room together, even when priorities differed. Humility, persistence, and regular communication were highlighted more often than technical tools or models.

Combining narrative and data to drive policy change.

Several sessions also emphasized that data alone doesn’t drive policy—but data paired with real stories can.

  • In Wisconsin’s “Nitrates on Tap” session, private well owners shared the financial burden of contaminated water ($3,000–$75,000 per well), making nitrate pollution an economic justice issue, not just an environmental one.
  • The Tonawanda Seneca Nation presented their work on a Rights of Nature bill in New York (A5156), which would allow legal representation on behalf of rivers and lakes—a tangible example of how Indigenous leadership is reshaping policy frameworks.
  • The H2Ohio Program showcased how bipartisan advocacy, flexible funding tools, and coalition-building helped move nutrient reduction efforts from pilot projects to statewide initiatives.

Key takeaways.

Across topics—nutrient management, stormwater, agricultural conservation, microplastics, youth education—the most consistent theme was simple: Solutions already exist. Scaling them depends on coordination.

As I return to my own work, I’m less focused on “finding the perfect strategy” and more focused on staying connected to the people who are working toward the same outcomes. If the Great Lakes are going to be healthy, public, and protected, it won’t be because one organization figured it all out. It will be because many of us kept showing up and building together.

Governor Whitmer proclaims October 22, 2025 as Great Lakes Public Trust Day

Published on October 20th, 2025 by - Blog Posts, Reports & Media Releases

Lansing, Mich. – Governor Gretchen Whitmer has proclaimed October 22, 2025, as Great Lakes Public Trust Day, affirming the public trust principle, which holds that Michigan’s surface waters and submerged lands are held in trust by the state for the benefit and enjoyment of all Michiganders. Flow Water Advocates worked with the Governor’s office to advance the proclamation, and has long championed the application of the public trust doctrine as a foundational legal tool to protect our waters and other natural resources.

“Michiganders are grateful for Michigan’s vast Great Lakes endowment, but many aren’t aware how vast it truly is, and how common law requires all Great Lakes states to protect the waters from harm and pollution,” said Flow Water Advocates Executive Director Liz Kirkwood.

Michigan is commonly depicted on maps as two peninsulas, but its territory also includes a huge, 38,000-square mile swath of the Great Lakes themselves – more than any other Great Lakes state. In fact, Michigan’s 38,000 square miles of submerged lands are bigger than the total area of Indiana and 12 other U.S. states. Michigan’s water boundaries touch the waters of Illinois and Minnesota as well as the water and land boundaries of Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio.

Notably, Flow elevated the state of Michigan as the key protector of our waters by invoking the public trust doctrine in litigation to remove the risky Enbridge fossil fuels pipeline from the Straits of Mackinac. Under that doctrine, which reaches back to Roman law, the state has the legal duty and right to protect the Great Lakes and bottomlands for the people of Michigan and future generations.

In 1892, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the public trust doctrine in a case involving a claim to ownership of Great Lakes shoreland and submerged lands by the Illinois Central Railroad. The Court found that “the state holds the title to the lands under the navigable waters of Lake Michigan…and that title necessarily carries with it control over the waters above them, whenever the lands are subjected to use…It is a title held in trust for the people of the state, that they may enjoy the navigation of the waters, carry on commerce over them, and have liberty of fishing therein, freed from the obstruction or interference of private parties.”

“We appreciate the Governor’s leadership, and this opportunity for public trust principles to become more widely known and understood,” says Kirkwood. “Environmental law pioneers like Joseph Sax and Flow founder Jim Olson recognized the power of the public trust doctrine to protect the waters we love, and indeed, it is the lens through which we view our most important work.”

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Flow Water Advocates is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Traverse City, Michigan. Our mission is to ensure the waters of the Great Lakes Basin are healthy, public, and protected for all. With a staff of legal and policy experts, communicators, and community builders, Flow is a trusted resource for Great Lakes advocates. We help communities, businesses, agencies, and governments make informed policy decisions and protect public trust rights to water. Learn more at www.FlowWaterAdvocates.org.

 

 

How to write a great Line 5 letter to the editor

Published on October 15th, 2025 by - Blog Posts

Download this guide (PDF)

Writing a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper is a great way to keep the Line 5 pipeline issue front and center, and educate our communities and elected officials about the threat Line 5 poses, and why we need to shut down Line 5.

First, know your newspaper’s guidelines:

  • Before you write your letter, visit the newspaper’s website or call to find out the word count limit. (Most are 100-250 words.)

  • Follow your newspaper’s directions on how to submit your letter (e.g. via email, through their website, or by mail).

  • Some newspapers require your full name and current city of residence, so be sure to include that information if needed.
Ready? Time to write your letter!

  • Personalize your letter and write it in your own voice. We’ve provided a tried-and-true formula below, but we encourage you to make it your own!

  • If your local newspaper has recently run a story about Line 5, reference it in your letter.

  • The Line 5 issue can feel really frustrating, but remember, your mission is to persuade, not to vent. Focus on a couple of key points that will resonate across the aisle and in your community.

Guide and examples (click to enlarge).

Download this guide (PDF)

Flow board elects Mike Vickery as chair, and executive team officers

Published on October 8th, 2025 by - Blog Posts

Flow Water Advocates is delighted to announce that Mike Vickery has been elected by its Board of Directors to serve as chair for the 2025-26 term. Mike first joined the Flow board in March 2016, and previously served as board chair from 2019 to 2021.

He is Professor Emeritus of Communication, Public Affairs, and Environmental Studies at Alma College, where he was founding chair of the Department of Communication and served as Co-Director of the Center for Responsible Leadership. Mike holds a PhD in Communication from the University of Texas at Austin, where his graduate work focused on political and organizational communication. In addition to his work with Flow, Mike has also served on the Boardman-Ottaway River Leadership Team, the Brown Bridge Quiet Area Committee, and the Traverse Area District Library Board of Trustees.

Mike has been an integral leader and thought partner of Flow for nearly a decade, and I am delighted to once again work with him as board chair. He has been an invaluable and trusted advisor on Flow’s strategic communications, community engagement, and organizational capacity building. This is an exciting, important period of our organization’s growth, and I am grateful to Mike for standing at the helm.
– Liz Kirkwood, Executive Director

 

Mike is joined on the 2025-26 executive team by the following officers:

Katie Sulau, Vice Chair
Katie Sulau brings 15 years of leadership experience in operations, programs, and campaigns for nonprofits focused on political and policy advocacy. As the founder of Steady Rudder, Katie leverages her expertise in planning, execution, and communication to simplify complex challenges and drive organizations forward. Katie holds dual degrees in Social Policy and Journalism from Michigan State University.

Craig Sharp, Treasurer
Craig, a founding member of Axiom Wealth Partners aligned with the Rockefeller Global Family Office, has over 23 years of experience serving individuals, families, nonprofits, and corporate clients. He serves on the Michigan Trails Fund board, and previously chaired the board of Groundwork Center. Craig has a BA degree from Hope College and a Master’s Degree from the University of Michigan.

Douglas Jester, Secretary
Douglas is the preceding Flow vice chair, and is a partner at 5 Lakes Energy. Prior to joining 5 Lakes Energy, Douglas served as senior energy policy advisor at the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth. Douglas holds degrees from New Mexico State University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University.

Keith Schneider, At-Large
Keith Schneider, senior editor at Circle of Blue, is a nationally recognized environmental journalist reporting on energy, agriculture, and water. A former New York Times correspondent, Keith recently had the honor of writing the NYT obituary for Jane Goodall. He contributes to The Guardian, ProPublica, National Geographic, and more.

Mike succeeds outgoing chair and retiring board member, Sarah Naperala. Sarah served on the Flow board for 10 years, and Flow is grateful for her decade of outstanding leadership, counsel, and commitment to ensuring that the Great Lakes are healthy, public, and protected for all.