News
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EPA Awards Nearly $6 Million to Indiana University to Monitor Airborne Pollution in the Great Lakes
Eagle Harbor, Michigan, one of the five master stations sampled by IADN. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded approximately $6 million to Indiana University to continue the long-term monitoring of atmospheric deposition, or airborne pollutants, in the Great Lakes. The cooperative agreement will support the Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network pursuant to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan.
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Red Cliff Tribal Band Significant Land Acquisition on Lake Superior
2015 aerial image showing the parcel at Red Cliff Bay on Lake Superior. (Oct. 2, 2019) The Red Cliff Tribal Band finalized a significant land acquisition in mid-July. The 155-acre land parcel is in northern Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Superior. Funding for the acquisition came from an award by the Bureau of Indian Affairs through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and also from the Red Cliff Band’s Historic Preservation Office.
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Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Posts Grand Calumet River AOC Stewardship Day Video
(Sept. 25, 2019) As part of Grand Calumet Stewardship Day, students from East Chicago took a trip to the Grand Calumet River. They were joined by scientists and agency leads from the EPA Great Lakes National Program Office and the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant. A video by the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant celebrates a partnership initiative that gives students the opportunity to learn about the wildlife and habitats of the river.
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U.S. EPA and Partners Begin Survey of Ecological Impacts of Lake Erie’s Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia
July 30, 2019: A severe bloom of blue-green algae in the western half of Lake Erie. Green patches show where the bloom was most dense and where toxicity levels were unsafe for recreational activities. (Sept. 23, 2019) At the end of September, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's research vessel Lake Guardian will monitor harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie and examine how they affect the lake’s ecosystem.
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EPA Publishes Guidance on the Application of QA/QC Principles to Ecological Restoration Project Monitoring
(Sept. 20, 2019) EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office and the Interagency Ecological Restoration Quality Committee announce the publication of the Application of Quality Assurance and Quality Control Principles to Ecological Restoration Project Monitoring. This guidance addresses the unique challenges associated with controlling and documenting the quality of ecological monitoring data.
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EPA Deploys Autonomous Underwater Vehicle to Assess Lake Erie’s Dissolved Oxygen Levels
While gliding autonomously through Lake Erie’s central basin, Nokomis records continuous high-resolution measurements of dissolved oxygen along with other parameters that monitor the health of the lake. (Sept. 18, 2019) - The U.S. EPA deployed the glider Nokomis, an autonomous underwater vehicle, to measure low levels dissolved oxygen, known as hypoxia, in Lake Erie. The glider will also collect other data, such as temperature and chlorophyll levels, which inform scientists on the state of Lake Erie.
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Great Lakes Commission awards $2.2 million under Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program
(Sept. 9, 2019) The Great Lakes Commission announces $2.2 million in grants to reduce the runoff of sediment, nutrients, and other pollutants into the Great Lakes. This runoff has economic and environmental impacts and contributes to the formation of harmful algal blooms and dead zones in the lakes. Grant recipients will use the funding to install structural or engineered controls and annual practices that emphasize long-term sustainability to limit sediment or nutrient runoff.
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EPA to measure Lake Erie for Dissolved Oxygen
The Rosette Sampler being deployed off of the R/V Lake Guardian. The SeaBird CTD, located at the bottom, is used to collect water temperature and dissolved oxygen values throughout the water column in Lake Erie during DO Surveys. (Aug. 22, 2019) EPA annual monitoring program underway to track changes in dissolved oxygen levels in Lake Erie’s central basin.
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Wisconsin Develops State’s First Set of Blue-Green Algae Beach Signs
Wisconsin’s Green Lake County health officer Kathy Munsey (left), and public health nurse Rachel Prellwitz (right), show off new blue-green algae beach signs. Credit: Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Public Health. (Aug. 21, 2019) The Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Public Health, which receives GLRI support through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recently developed the state’s first set of blue-green algae beach signs.
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Full Conference Agenda Available for 2019 Annual Great Lakes Area of Concern Conference
(Aug. 6, 2019) The complete agenda for the 2019 Annual Great Lakes Areas of Concern Conference is now available. The conference is being held in Cleveland, OH, Sept. 11-12, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio Lake Erie Commission, in partnership with Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.