Blog Posts

Blog posts by FLOW team and guest writers

Good news about groundwater – Rutland Herald

“Vermont leaders pioneer public trust principles to address systemic pollution and water quantity issues in this century.  The MTBE case is groundbreaking, because it demonstrates how the public trust principles advocated and demonstrated FLOW’s projects will work for the Great Lakes and beyond, including addressing the toxic algae and algal blooms in Lake Erie, invasive… Read more »

Toxic Algae Problem Likely To Get Worse Before It Gets Better

A featured story on National Public Radio this morning.  The issue of blue-green algae in lakes which took the spotlight in August after the Ohio city of Toledo banned its drinking water for two days.  Toledo could be a wake-up call for people around Lake Erie.    If you missed the story you can visit… Read more »

Harmful Algal Blooms Causing Toledo’s Municipal Water Crisis

Harmful Algal Blooms Causing Toledo’s Municipal Water Crisis By Casey Spitzer, FLOW Intern August 8, 2014   Fear and confusion spread quickly through the greater Toledo area in the early morning hours of Saturday, August 2nd when Ohio Governor declared a state of emergency that announced that the water was not safe to drink. Toledo’s… Read more »

DEQ and Attorney General Determine Enbridge in Violation of 1953 Easement

On July 1st, FLOW along with 16 conservation, water and environmental groups and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians sent a letter to Michigan Governor Rick Snyder urging greater state action to regulate Enbridge’s 61 year-old Line 5, which transports some 23 million gallons of crude oil and other petroleum products under the… Read more »

Detroit Spirit and Community Leader Passes Away

Charity Hicks, a visionary, cultural, and community leader in Detroit passed away after a serious bus accident in New York July 9th, 2014. Charity had led the fight of the Detroit People’s Water Board against political efforts to privatize Detroit’s water system and shut off water to and otherwise marginalize Detroit’s residents and poor neighborhoods…. Read more »

FLOW attends Northern Michigan Pipeline Symposium

On Tuesday night June 24, 2014, approximately 150 concerned citizens gathered together at Petoskey High School to learn and ask questions about Enbridge Energy and their future plans for pipeline 5.  A wide range of advocacy and regulatory groups were also in attendance and participated in the discussion panel that followed after presentations form PHMSA,… Read more »

Local Government Regulation of Large-Scale Hydraulic Fracturing Activities and Uses

Ross Hammersely and Kate Redman, attorneys with the Traverse City law firm, Olson, Bzdok & Howard, have done a marvelous service for local government officials, planners, administrators, property owners, industry, and the public in publishing a cogent, objective article on the scope and nature of local government regulation, including zoning and police power ordinance tools,… Read more »

Summary – Virtual Townhall Webinar on Nutrient Pollution, Harmful Algal Blooms, and Dead Zones in the Great Lakes

Click here to view on YouTube.com FLOW’s May 13th webinar hosted four speakers who provided their insight on nutrient pollution in Lake Erie. We were fortunate to hear from Dr. Don Scavia, professor from the University of Michigan Codi Yeager-Kozacek, correspondent from Circle of Blue Dave Dempsey, member from the International Joint Commission Jim Olson,… Read more »