Blog posts by FLOW team and guest writers
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… Read more »
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… Read more »
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… Read more »
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,… Read more »
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… Read more »
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… Read more »
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… Read more »
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:… Read more »
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… Read more »
Download Policy Brief (PDF) The problem. In Michigan, polluters have walked away from more than 26,000 contaminated sites — 13,000 of which are “orphaned” without a known responsible party — with groundwater and soil too polluted to use, leaving taxpayers on the hook for the $13 billion that the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes,… Read more »
