Blog posts by FLOW team and guest writers
What happened. On June 3, the Michigan Senate Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee voted to advance SB 771, which would create a statewide septic code, and prioritize evaluations for older septic systems near lakes and streams. Michigan’s septic situation. Michigan does not have a statewide septic code, and there is strong evidence that failing systems are contaminating… Read more »
An emerging threat to public drinking water supplies is drawing increased attention in Washington, DC and Lansing. The threat of cyberattacks has implications for the safety and security of these water supplies. International tensions are also cause for concern. Members of Congress and the Michigan Legislature are proposing solutions. What’s the threat? Most water and… Read more »
After 15 years of transforming grassroots determination into landmark legal and policy victories for our region’s rivers, lakes, and streams, Flow Water Advocates is boldly stepping into its next era of water protection. Elizabeth Kirkwood, Flow’s founding executive director, who has led the organization from a determined startup into one of the Great Lakes region’s… Read more »
What is happening: Enbridge is requesting a permit from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) for its proposed Line 5 pipeline tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac. If approved, the permit would allow Enbridge to: Dump billions of gallons of wastewater into Lake Michigan — enough to fill 9 Olympic-sized swimming… Read more »
By Tom Healy, Flow Advisory Council member My heart jumped when I saw the slim volume on the bookstore shelf. I was as much surprised by my reaction as by the sight of the cherished book from my childhood: Paddle-to-the-Sea. What a joy to rediscover a friend after so many decades. It’s a story that… Read more »
America’s wetlands haven’t changed, but federal law regarding wetlands has never stopped changing in recent decades. Federal environmental and agricultural agencies and federal courts have taken a zig-zag course, alternately strengthening and weakening Clean Water Act (CWA) protections. In recent years, courts and the two Trump Administrations have taken direct aim at the very definition… Read more »
By Caroline Gottschalk Flow Water Advocates has followed the story of a rural community that has been trying to get a cleanup of a former DuPont property in White River Township, Muskegon County, Michigan since a resident noticed taste and odor problems in his well water in 1961. Flow’s April, 2023 Blog, “Make It Right… Read more »
Traverse City, Mich. — On May 11th, 2026, Flow Water Advocates (“Flow”) and Sierra Club filed an amici curiae, or friend of the court, brief in support of the State of Michigan’s appeal of a federal court’s failure to recognize and uphold an essential attribute of state sovereignty — the public trust doctrine. Flow and… Read more »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 7, 2026 Lansing, Mich. — Today in the Michigan Senate, Sen. Sam Singh (D-28) introduced legislation to address Michigan’s persistent, underfunded water infrastructure needs and support safe, affordable drinking water for all Michigan residents. MWTFA Fact Sheet (PDF) Email your Senator The Michigan Water Trust Fund Act (SB 950 & 951)… Read more »
On Earth Day — a time meant to focus on protecting our water and natural resources—the House Natural Resources and Tourism Committee held a hearing on a package of wetland bills, including HB 5501, 5502, 5536, 5556, and 5082. Instead of strengthening protections, these bills would weaken safeguards that have been in place for decades. Just… Read more »
