The Great Lakes News Collaborative

Throughout the Great Lakes region and across the U.S., water systems are aging. In some communities, this means water bills that residents can’t afford or water that’s unsafe to drink. It means that vulnerable systems are even more at risk in a changing climate. From shrinking cities and small towns to the comparatively thriving suburbs, the true cost of water has been deferred for decades.

As the nation prepares to pour hundreds of billions of federal dollars into rescuing water systems, the Great Lakes News Collaborative investigates the true cost of water in Michigan.

After Decades of Neglect, Bill Coming Due for Michigan’s Water Infrastructure

May 2, 2022

Federal and state governments begin to reverse course on underinvestment to address water’s true cost.

Circle of Blue · After Decades of Neglect, Bill Coming Due for Michigan’s Water Infrastructure

May 3, 2022

As some rural towns lose population and government funds shrink, some drinking water systems are one failure away from crisis.

May 3, 2022

Michigan cities rich and poor, big and small have been delaying maintenance on their water systems for decades. Now, even wealthy towns are suffering the consequences of past reluctance to pay for water system upkeep.

May 3, 2022

Cities around the Great Lakes region struggle with the cost of water maintenance and operation as their populations decline.

May 4, 2022

Failing systems can allow contaminated water to seep through the earth into nearby bodies of water.

May 9, 2022

Many of Michigan’s 1,773 cities, villages, and townships are reaching a water infrastructure crisis point.

May 10, 2022

Rising rates hurt the state’s poorest residents.

May 11, 2022

Customers get cheaper, cleaner water when communities share the cost of infrastructure.

May 11, 2022

More communities gain access to the largest federal infusion in a half-century.

May Events From The Great Lakes News Collaborative

Throught the month of May, the collaborative will host virtual events to discuss key findings from the series.

Wednesday, May 11, 12 noon – Lunch Break Discussion

Bridge Michigan and Circle of Blue hosted a Lunch Break discussion with water experts about the challenges and opportunities facing Michigan’s water systems.

Thursday, May 12, 8 p.m. – PBS Books with Peter Annin, Great Lakes Water Wars

Detroit Public Television hosts a PBS Books discussion with Peter Annin, author of “Great Lakes Water Wars,” the definitive book on Great Lakes water diversions and the hard-fought battles to protect this precious resource. He relates his findings to the current issues in the Water’s True Cost project.

May 24, 7:30 p.m. – Sneak Preview Watch Party for “Water’s True Cost” TV Program

Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television hosts a sneak preview watch party for the new Great Lakes Now episode based on the full project. Join to learn more about the complicated financial, public health and infrastructural implications of our drinking water and get your questions answered live during the event from experts and reporters.

Featured Image: © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue

Subscribe to Fresh: A Great Lakes Policy Briefing

A biweekly breakdown of Great Lakes region news

U.S. President Joe Biden restores several key provisions of a bedrock federal environmental law.
The former water operator in Flint, Michigan testifies that he sounded the alarm leading up to the city’s lead contamination crisis.
New York state legislators weigh competing proposals to regulate the cryptocurrency industry.
Litigation over the transnational Line 5 oil pipeline continues in Wisconsin.
Subsidies doled out amid a corruption scandal are still flowing to coal plants in Ohio.

A plan to make Michigan into the next “space state” stirs controversy.

Ready or Not

The Great Lakes region is frequently touted as one of the most climate-resilient places in the U.S., in no small part because of its enviable water resources. But climate change also threatens water quality, availability, and aging water infrastructure by exposing existing vulnerabilities and creating new ones. In this series, members of the Great Lakes News Collaborative explored what it may take to prepare the Great Lakes region for the future climatologists say we can expect.

Water Could Make The Great Lakes Region a Climate Refuge. Are We Prepared?

February 16, 2021

What may it take to prepare the Great Lakes region for the future climatologists say we can expect?

State Side, Keith Schneider on Climate Migration and the Great Lakes

Additional Coverage from the Collaborative

Michigan’s 20th Century Water Systems Too Big For Its Shrinking City Populations

May 3, 2022

Cities around the Great Lakes region struggle with the cost of water maintenance and operation as their populations decline.

Many Rural Towns Have Neglected Drinking Water Systems for Decades

May 3, 2022

As some rural towns lose population and government funds shrink, some drinking water systems are one failure away from crisis.

After Decades of Neglect, Bill Coming Due for Michigan’s Water Infrastructure

May 2, 2022

Federal and state governments begin to reverse course on underinvestment to address water’s true cost.

Gas and Oil Industry Report Projects Fuel Price Hikes if Enbridge Line 5 is Shut Down

March 10, 2022

Line 5’s Impact on Climate Change Being Reviewed as Part of Tunnel Decision

February 21, 2022

What keeping Line 5 operating means for climate change.

Great Lakes News Collaborative Examines Water’s True Cost

April 27, 2022

Line 5’s Impact on Climate Change Being Reviewed as Part of Tunnel Decision

February 21, 2022

What keeping Line 5 operating means for climate change.

The Next Source of Trouble for Great Lakes Fish Populations: Tires

January 11, 2022

A tire chemical that was poisoning fish out West has been discovered in two Lake Ontario tributaries.

High Costs, Few Customers: Benton Harbor Water Woes Loom for Michigan Cities

December 15, 2021

Reduce Flooding From Backed up Sewers? There’s an App for That

November 11, 2021

A group of researchers is helping cities use their current systems better.

Water Infrastructure, Access, Affordability, and Drinking Water

Michigan’s 20th Century Water Systems Too Big For Its Shrinking City Populations

May 3, 2022

Cities around the Great Lakes region struggle with the cost of water maintenance and operation as their populations decline.

Many Rural Towns Have Neglected Drinking Water Systems for Decades

May 3, 2022

As some rural towns lose population and government funds shrink, some drinking water systems are one failure away from crisis.

High Costs, Few Customers: Benton Harbor Water Woes Loom for Michigan Cities

December 15, 2021

In Benton Harbor, Residents’ Complaints of Lead-Tainted Water Carry Echoes

October 20, 2021

Water samples from Benton Harbor homes since 2018 consistently revealed elevated levels of lead

Some Chicagoans Wary of Lead Pipe Replacement

July 21, 2021

Mistrust of the government, fears related to immigration, and unclear messaging make the operation a hard sell in some neighborhoods.

Dealing With The Soup of Chemicals That Can Get Into Your Drinking Water

July 6, 2021

All the things that go down the drain and end up at the waste water treatment plant are not removed there. It's a soup of chemicals.

In Chicago, Flooding Overwhelmingly Strikes Communities of Color

June 29, 2021

Plastic Debris Is Getting Into The Great Lakes, Our Drinking Water, And Our Food

May 6, 2021

Michigan’s Rural Water Systems Confront Generations of Inadequate Investment

March 23, 2021

A critical juncture is reached for providing water to Michigan's rural communities.

HotSpots H2O: Canadian Government Misses Target to End Water Insecurity for First Nations Communities

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March 8, 2021

Many First Nations in Canada continue to live without clean water six years after the government began actively addressing the issue, according to a report published by the Auditor General of Canada late last month.

Michigan Dams Need ‘Immediate Attention’ to Prevent Next Failure

March 5, 2021

Michigan’s aging dams require “comprehensive and immediate attention” to avoid future tragedies like last summer’s Midland-area dam failures, a state task force has determined.

High Demand for New Michigan Water Infrastructure Grants

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February 9, 2021

A new grant program in Michigan to rid drinking water systems of contaminants is proving to be quite popular.

Water Law and Policy

As Drought Grips American West, Irrigation Becomes Selling Point for Michigan

September 27, 2021

Michigan farmers irrigate with 187 billion gallons of groundwater a year. Is the state prepared for more?

Treaty Rights Acknowledged For First Time in Oil Pipeline’s Controversial History

March 12, 2021

Michigan’s Indigenous communities hold long-standing legal rights to protect lands and waters.

As Great Lakes Pummel Michigan, Beach Towns Rush to Set Development Rules

November 18, 2020

In Great Lakes, the ongoing high water crisis is leading some communities to rethink the policies that put them here.

2020 Election: Water a Factor in Senate Race in Michigan

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October 29, 2020

A state surrounded by the Great Lakes reckons with aging infrastructure and chemical contamination.

Michigan Allocates $20 Million to Relieve Customer Water Debts

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October 14, 2020

Michigan is using federal CARES Act funding to help residents pay off past-due water bills that accrued during the pandemic.

Groundwater, Septic, and PFAS

The Next Source of Trouble for Great Lakes Fish Populations: Tires

January 11, 2022

A tire chemical that was poisoning fish out West has been discovered in two Lake Ontario tributaries.

PFAS in the House: Are Toxic “Forever Chemicals” a Steady Drip in This Reporter’s Home?

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March 13, 2021

“PFAS in the House” was produced by Great Lakes Now/Detroit…

Rights vs. Regulations: When it Comes to Septic Codes, Property Rights Remain a Big Barrier

March 2, 2021

A significant number of residential septic systems need repair or replacement, but efforts to enact a statewide code have been hampered.

HotSpots H2O: Minnesota Rolls Out Plan for PFAS Contamination

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February 22, 2021

Minnesota officials announced a multi-step strategy to address PFAS contamination in the environment.

Groundwater: The Sixth Great Lake

September 25, 2018

Despite its abundance, is groundwater a second-class citizen?

The Great Lakes and Climate Change

Climate Change Grips Trout Streams Across the Nation:

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November 2, 2021

Across the country, anglers have watched as droughts, floods, and high temperatures batter the rivers they depend on.

Detroit Flooding Previews Risks from a Warming Climate

July 1, 2021

Urban infrastructure in many cities was not built for current and future climate pressures.

Green Infrastructure: Cities Around the Great Lakes Plan for a Changing Future

May 18, 2021

Michigan Is On Thin Ice. Get Used To It, Climate Experts Say

March 13, 2021

Long-term, warming temperatures in Michigan could bring far more widespread and lasting challenges by destroying key northern ecosystems.

Too Few Farmers are Curbing Pollution in Lake Erie. Should They be Forced?

March 9, 2021

As climate change complicates Lake Erie’s algae problem, scientists say farmers must do far more to reduce phosphorus runoff. But will enough farmers change their ways without a government mandate?

As Great Lakes Pummel Michigan, Beach Towns Rush to Set Development Rules

November 18, 2020

In Great Lakes, the ongoing high water crisis is leading some communities to rethink the policies that put them here.

HotSpots H2O: U.S. Great Lakes, Near Record Highs, Pummel Coastal Infrastructure

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April 6, 2020

The U.S. Great Lakes have surged to unprecedented levels, causing tens of millions of dollars in damage to coastal roads, marinas, and household property.

Solutions to Issues Facing The Great Lakes

By Natasha Blakely, Great Lakes Now An array of more than…

Video

Remembering Michigan’s PBB Crisis

Contamination of the food-supply chain in Michigan in the 1970s was one of the worst mass poisonings in U.S. history. The events still resonate today.