eNewsletter Signup * indicates requiredEmail Address *First Name Last Name What’s your top water concern? What we’re working on today. Shut down Line 5. There is a 70+ year old pipeline running through the Mackinac Straits, and Enbridge’s proposal to bore a tunnel under the straits isn’t the right solution for Michigan. End factory farm… 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 »
By Carrie La Seur, Legal Director — The late afternoon sun, hours from sunset as the days stretch out, promises the first true warmth of spring. It’s 5 p.m. on April 25, 2025, and I nestle into the snug seat of my red, white, and blue Jackson river kayak. The Alma impoundment, usually a green,… Read more »
Last week, Grand Traverse County took a major step forward in protecting its waters and residents by unanimously passing a countywide septic regulation. This landmark decision marks the first time the county has adopted rules to systematically evaluate septic systems near water bodies. While the regulation may appear modest in scope, its implications are profound…. Read more »
FLOW has developed model legislation to protect water quality, advance water equity, ensure that the waters of the State remain a public resource, and provide communities and water utilities with a steady source of funding to address water affordability and infrastructure needs. The key provisions of the legislation address long-standing, increasingly intractable problems of water… Read more »
Rural Michigan may have a smaller population than Michigan’s urban areas, but viewed from another perspective, it is just as – if not more – densely populated. Rural Michigan has a hidden population that doesn’t play by the same rules as our human neighbors – especially when it comes to waste disposal. Michigan’s livestock population… Read more »
Early this winter, FLOW and students from the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) graduate program teamed up for a 16-month initiative to examine Michigan’s groundwater management and propose a statewide strategy to ensure long-term, sustainable groundwater governance. Flow Water Advocates is grateful to announce a $20,000 leadership gift in support of… Read more »
Fulfilling a request made by FLOW since 2018, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) has elevated groundwater protection on its priority list. In March, EGLE announced it has established a Groundwater and Geological Services section, and declared that groundwater would “be under the radar no more.” This is about more than… Read more »
Saturday, March 22 is World Water Day, a global day established by the United Nations to celebrate water, reflect on the progress we’ve made, and acknowledge the challenges ahead. This year’s theme, glacier preservation, is a powerful reminder of how climate change is reshaping our world and threatening freshwater supplies. Here in Michigan, where the… Read more »
National Groundwater Awareness Week, which began on Sunday, March 9, is as invisible to most of us as is groundwater itself. Yet groundwater plays an important role in the lives of all Michiganders. Here’s a chance to test your groundwater knowledge, or gain some. Take the test below! The volume of groundwater in the… Read more »
