 |
 |
       |
 |
Strategic plan targets invasive species
The Superior Daily Telegram (11/17)
Douglas County’s Land Conservation Committee is forwarding a plan to the county board that takes aim at invasive species.
Mich. Clean Marina Program: Public-private partners work together to improve water quality
Grand Rapids Environmental News Examiner (11/9)
Partners from the public and private sector in Michigan are working together in a voluntary program to improve the quality of the Great Lakes.
Researchers seek funding for wind test site in Lake Michigan
Grand Rapids Environmental News Examiner (11/7)
In a recent article in The Muskegon Chronicle, it was reported that researchers at Grand Valley State University’s Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC) cited a lack of year-around data (on wind platform testing) needed by prospective development companies.
COMMENTARY: Senate needs to pass clean energy act to help Michigan
The Grand Rapids Press (10/26)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was absolutely correct with his recent proclamation about the current condition of the Great Lakes State: "The State of Michigan," Reid declared from the Senate Floor, with a copy Time Magazine in his hand, "is in trouble."
First Nation women 'walk the environmental talk'
WeNews (10/23)
Tomorrow's global day of climate activism aims for media and political attention. First Nation women have another way. Since 2003, they've walked the shoreline of a Great Lake or major river, meditating on the needs of an unborn generation.
City making big push for water school
The Business Journal (10/23)
The push is on to convince the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee that the best location for its new School of Freshwater Sciences is near the university’s existing Great Lakes Water Institute on East Greenfield Avenue.
What's going on in your neighborhood this month? Meet other people and learn together at recreational and educational events! Our new dynamic calendar is updated daily with current educational events.
How many times do you clean the Great Lakes a year? What chemicals are used in the process?
from Charles of Post Middle School in Detroit, Michigan, Age 13
Unlike a swimming pool, the Great Lakes are not cleaned by chemicals, such as chlorine. However, the lakes do have a natural cleaning and purification process. Wetlands, which are moisture-rich land areas found around rivers, lakes, and streams, store water during times of flood. The wetlands filter sediment and other pollutants out of the water, and when the water is naturally released back into the water source, such as in a time of drought, the water is cleaner.
Humans can also clean up the lakes (although we are also the main reason for lake pollution). Dredging, which is the removal of sediment from the bottom of a waterway, is often used to rid the lake or river of contaminated sediments. Many policies and laws that are passed by state governments also help clean up the lakes, such as the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1978. And check out TEACH's Areas of Concern module to find out what the Great Lakes region is doing to clean up the most polluted areas of the Great Lakes region.
Thank you for your question!
Answered on August 1, 2000