Grand River plume, post flood. from Michelle McKormick’s facebook page.
A majority of U.S. rivers rated in “poor” condition
An important reminder of the need for taking better care of our waterways, The Atlantic Wire and Washington Post report on a new report from the Environmental Protection Agency labeling 55 percent of our nation’s streams “poor” and another 23 percent as “fair.”
Runoff contributes to Lake Erie algae blooms
Scientists from the U.S. and Canada are looking at solutions to algae bloom problems in Lake Erie. Blue-green algae is native to the lake, but problems have been increasing over the years. Runoff from farms is a primary contributor along with sewage-treatment plants and septic tanks. A draft report on the issue will come in May.
EPA Orders more Kalamazoo River clean up
The Environmental Protection Agency is ordering Enbridge to do more dredging of the Kalamazoo River to further clean the river from a 2010 oil spill.
Catch basin. Photo taken in Grandville, Michigan; January 3, 2013.
Winter in West Michigan. Snow and rain have both produced ice in the cold weather this year. Runoff is always a concern with rain, but snow and ice contribute equally as much to the problem when they melt, if not more. The added concern for water quality in winter is the application of salt to our roads and sidewalks to melt ice and prevent dangerous buildup.
A Slate article from 2010 points out that 13 times more salt is used on our roadways each year than by the food processing industry, and it comes with numerous problems for our water systems. It can make drinking wells salty tasting, disrupt aquatic species, and create dead zones in water bodies. In 2009, the Great Lakes Echo reported on a study saying these are problems for the Great Lakes.
So, why do we keep using salt? The Slate article says:
Because it’s cheap. Alternative chemicals can be much more expensive… and they often require municipalities to invest in new spreading equipment. Plus, replacements can come with their own environmental issues. … So far, no one’s invented a completely benign way to get ice off the roads—except, perhaps, the shovel.
Road salt might not be going away soon, but it’s something we should all be aware of, especially those of us who may use it ourselves.
For more information, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has an informative page for road salt and water quality, and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments has a fact sheet, “Salt Storage and Application Techniques” (PDF).
Environmental threat map highlights Great Lakes restoration challenges
A group led by University of Michigan researchers have released a comprehensive threat map for the Great Lakes.
The map represents the combined influence of nearly three dozen individual stressors and is incredibly detailed for a region spanning nearly 900 miles, showing impacts at the scale of half a mile.
One of these stressors is pollutants transported by runoff. Click through to read the full press release, or check out the project website, here.
Blockages cause three sewage overflows around Kalamazoo
An estimated 300,000 gallons of sewage flowed into a Kalamazoo wetlands last week caused by rags that blocked the sewer. Users should be careful of what they put into the sewer system to avoid causing blockages. Additional blockages elsewhere caused two other overflows of at least 3,000 and up to 1,500 gallons. An assessment of the area around the largest overflow determined no long term impacts are expected, but people are advised to avoid contact with surface water in the area for the near term.
See what happened to Nairobi because they were not able to manage the extra rain water from a storm. The mountains of suds generated by the overflowing river are quite the spectacle. Nairobi failed to properly manage its stormwater.
Let’s not let this happen to the Grand River.
Thanks to Nordman Sustainability Solutions for the tip.
This video shows a time lapse of the installation of The Grand Rapids Community College Applied Technology Center green roof. This is another example of good, low-impact design in West Michigan. The project (PDF), completed in 2008, is an extensive roof system by LiveRoof out of Spring Lake and designed by GMB Architects. Twenty different varieties of sedum plants and space for an herb garden provided for the Secchia Institute of Culinary Education populate the roof. Originally expected to be smaller, the project came in under budget and with an addition done in 2009 the entire roof was able to be covered. A $750,000 project paid for by a grant from the Steelcase Foundation, the roof covers over 17,000 square feet and was designed to collect between sixty and ninety percent of the stormwater that falls on the site. Perhaps just as important as the environmental benefits, the roof is a valuable teaching tool with a plaza space and observation deck showing students and visitors how we can be more sustainable.
Stormwater contributing to problems on Great Lakes beaches
Great Lakes Echo reports that beaches all around the Great Lakes, even Lake Superior, are showing the stresses associated with runoff and increased levels of water pollution.
