Great Lakes Daily News

Researchers say the world has entered an era of global ‘water bankruptcy’—a point where many rivers, lakes, aquifers, and glaciers have been pushed past their capacity to recover. This finding has implications on the Great Lakes system as each year, only about one percent of Great Lakes water is replenished through rain, snow, and groundwater. Read the full story by the Welland Tribune.

A six-decade history in the Great Lakes region of ecosystem and water protection is being put to the test as a dynamic era of energy investment, rising electricity demand, aging assets and political intervention dawns across the basin. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.

A bill that would redesignate the Apostle Islands as Wisconsin’s first national park advanced out of the House Committee on Natural Resources in a narrow vote this week. Read the full story by KBJR-TV – Superior, WI.

The City of Duluth’s Engineering division will launch a new Private Stormwater Best Management Practice (BMP) Inspection and Maintenance Program for certain properties starting this spring. These BMPs help control stormwater runoff, reduce flooding risk and protect water quality in local resources including Lake Superior, the Saint Louis River Bay Estuary, wetlands and 60 streams. Read the full story by WDIO-TV – Duluth, MN.

A coalition of environmental advocates introduced state legislation in Illinois Wednesday to guard against data centers causing water shortages, groundwater conflicts, increased water prices and pollution without proper planning and management. Read the full story by the Daily Herald.

Construction on a new reservoir designed to maintain a secure water supply in London, Ontario is nearly complete. The new addition, fed from Lake Erie and Lake Huron where the water is treated before being pumped to the reservoirs, will be nearly double the capacity of the previous reservoir. Read the full story by CTV News.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is reminding ice fishermen that there are only a few times and locations where it’s legal to catch lake sturgeon — and they should take care to quickly release any fish they catch by mistake this winter. Read the full story by the Lansing State Journal.

Several efforts are underway in Erie, Pennsylvania, to address sediment problems and the lack of holding water for steelhead and bass in tributaries of Lake Erie. Read the full story by Erie Times-News.

Lake Superior State University is expanding its Great Lakes research capacity through a $3 million donation to support the university’s Center for Freshwater Research and Education in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The funding will be used to create an Excellence Fund for student research, acquire advanced equipment, and purchase a larger research vessel for applied fieldwork. Read the full story by WWTV-TV – Cadillac, MI.

The annual walleye run on the Maumee River is expected to be historic this year, thanks to Lake Erie’s extensive ice coverage during the winter months which could be exceptional for walleye spawning. Read the full story by WTVG-TV – Toledo, OH.