Blog posts by FLOW team and guest writers
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 »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 19, 2025 Lansing, Mich. – The Michigan Supreme Court has granted a landmark application for leave to appeal, paving the way for a review of the Michigan Public Service Commission’s (MPSC) decision to approve a permit for Enbridge’s proposed oil pipeline tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac. This order, issued on… Read more »
The Great Lakes are the lifeblood of North America, holding nearly one-fifth of the world’s surface freshwater and supplying drinking water to 40 million people. A new report from the International Joint Commission (IJC), its second Draft 10-Year Report on the Protection of the Waters of the Great Lakes, highlights progress as well as new… Read more »
PRESS RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 9, 2025 Download the written comments to EGLE (PDF) Traverse City, Mich. – On August 29, 2025, Flow Water Advocates, a Great Lakes water protection organization, together with the Sierra Club and Surfrider Foundation, submitted written comments on Enbridge’s application for a Water Resources Permit for its proposed Line 5 tunnel project… Read more »
Rushed potash fracking operation threatens groundwater and wetlands. Michigan Potash & Salt Company is attempting to develop a massive potash and salt fracking facility in rural Osceola and Mecosta Counties, right next to Bullkill Marsh, some of Michigan’s most beautiful and fragile wetlands. If built, the Michigan Potash mine would consume more than two million… Read more »
By Sydney Howard, Flow Summer Legal Intern – This summer, I traded my usual Carolinian life for something completely new – I moved to Traverse City, Michigan, for a three-month internship with Flow Water Advocates. I had never been to the state, didn’t know anyone, and moved into a house with strangers. It was a… Read more »
Line 5 – the 72-year-old dual pipelines suspended across the bottomlands of the Straits of Mackinac – has been battered by anchor strikes and entangled by cables from passing ships. It is universally accepted that the exposed pipelines represent a clear and present danger to the Great Lakes and the regional economy should Line 5… Read more »
The International Joint Commission (IJC) is seeking public comment on the recently released Draft 2025 Review of the International Joint Commission’s Report on the “Protection of the Waters of the Great Lakes”. The report updates the IJC’s analysis of Great Lakes stresses from consumption, diversion, and removal of water from the Great Lakes. The IJC… Read more »
Flow is thrilled to welcome three incredible new members to our Board of Directors: Environmental journalist Keith Schneider, MSU Assistant Professor Kelly Hirko, and MSU Assistant Professor Anthony Kendall! Each brings a deep commitment to protecting the Great Lakes, along with unique expertise—from community organizing and environmental law to science, education, and advocacy. Together, they… Read more »
What are nitrates and why do they matter? If your household water comes from a private well, you may be at risk of nitrate contamination —and not even know it. Nitrates are a type of nitrogen compound that can seep into groundwater from the use of fertilizers, manure, and failing septic systems. The problem? Nitrates… Read more »
