Search Results for: groundwater

The Sixth Great Lake is Under Your Feet

January 27, 2021

It’s natural to stand on the shoreline of one of the Great Lakes and admire their vastness and majesty. But another abundant water resource in the basin is out of sight and rarely commands such appreciation. That’s groundwater. Between 20-40 percent of the water budget of the lakes (the total water flowing in and out of the system) originates as groundwater. Without this unseen water, the Great Lakes would be dramatically different from those we know. Strengthening public appreciation of and public policy protecting groundwater is a fundamental part of Great Lakes stewardship.

From PBB to PFAS: How We’ve Failed to Protect Our Health and Water from Toxic Chemicals

January 6, 2021

On Tuesday, January 19, from noon to 1:30 pm, the League of Women Voters/Grand Traverse Area will host FLOW senior policy advisor Dave Dempsey discussing the topic of toxic chemicals present in our groundwater. Almost 50 years ago, Michigan suffered one of the worst human exposures to a toxic chemical in its history when PBB accidently entered the state’s food supply. In more recent years, our exposure to PBDEs and PFAs has raised the question of whether we have learned anything about the dangers persistent chemicals present to human health.

From Earth Day 1970 to Today: 50 Years of Lessons Learned and the Path Forward

December 28, 2020

Throughout 2020, FLOW has been remembering and reflecting on one of the most consequential years for the environment in America’s history. The 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day — the year in which the U.S. EPA was created, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was authorized, the Michigan Environmental Protection Act became law, and much more — made 1970 a year to remember.

State of Michigan Dodges Decision, Nestlé Dodges the Rule of Law

December 2, 2020

In a baffling decision announced November 20, the director of Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) dismissed a contested case brought by citizens challenging the state permit issued to Nestlé Waters North America in 2018 for increased water withdrawals from springs north of Evart, in Osceola County’s Osceola Township. The announcement also, in effect, dismissed the more than 80,000 comments EGLE received opposing the permit (only 75 comments were in favor), the testimony of hundreds of citizens opposing the permit at a public hearing in 2017, and the thousands of hours of effort put into the permit challenge by Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation (MCWC), the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, and their allies.

Giving Does Have Great Consequences

December 1, 2020

With the shutdown of the Line 5 oil pipelines in sight, past and present FLOW Board Chairs take note of this moment in history, and recognize the results of your commitment in supporting FLOW’s public trust work. Take heart in how far we’ve come and celebrate in the fact that your gifts to FLOW matter, in the past, now, and in the future. From the bottom of our hearts and the bottomlands of your Great Lakes, we thank you for supporting FLOW.

The High Cost of Short-Sighted Water Pricing

October 21, 2020

Water is becoming unaffordable in communities across the state and the nation. The village of Beulah is one of many places across Michigan and the United States where residential water rates have skyrocketed. In fact, water bills have risen by 80 percent in the past decade for millions of Americans. This water affordability crisis is especially acute and painful during the COVID-19 pandemic, which requires frequent washing.

Bottled water

Evart’s White Pine Springs Takes Center Stage in North America’s Water Wars

October 20, 2020

Evart is taking center stage in North America’s “water wars” as local advocates demand that Nestlé Waters North America revert its claimed rights to the White Pine Springs back to the public trust. These springs, a source for Ice Mountain’s bottled water brand, have long been subject to community opposition due to the company’s legacy of broken promises, ecological harm, and removal of our most precious public resource: our water. 

Water and the Environment are on the 2020 Ballot

October 14, 2020

Voting season has already begun in an election that will have much to do with protection of our water in Michigan and the nation. FLOW does not take positions on individual candidates, but we do remind voters to exercise their power in order to protect water and the environment generally. A statewide ballot proposal in Michigan, a Great Lakes agenda for the winner of the presidential election, and races for the Michigan House of Representatives all have clear environmental implications.