Agriculture Great Lakes Now

Agricultural runoff damages our water and kills wildlife. Could a simple drainage stopper be the solution?

11 min read

Agricultural runoff damages our water and kills wildlife. Could a simple drainage stopper be the solution?

The sight of the first snow on the horizon of Bill Wiley’s 500-acre farm in Shelby County, Ohio, is a welcome relief. The 2024 growing season has been incredibly dry.

“We are about eight inches behind regular precipitation for the year,” he said.

But Wiley, who farms corn, soybeans, wheat, pumpkins and gords, has installed two inline water control structures that control the flow of drainage water from two of his fields.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Great Lakes Now Lake Ontario Ontario

The past, present and future of a changing Lake Ontario | Great Lakes Now

12 min read

The past, present and future of a changing Lake Ontario

By Daniel Macfarlane

This story is an excerpt from Daniel Macfarlane’s book The Lives of Lake Ontario: An Environmental History.

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS, Michigan Public and The Narwhal who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Great Lakes Now Lake Ontario Ontario

The past, present and future of a changing Lake Ontario

12 min read

The past, present and future of a changing Lake Ontario

By Daniel Macfarlane

This story is an excerpt from Daniel Macfarlane’s book The Lives of Lake Ontario: An Environmental History.

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS, Michigan Public and The Narwhal who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Great Lakes Now Ontario

Spotlight on complexity of bottled water issues, as BlueTriton exits Ontario

5 min read

Spotlight on complexity of bottled water issues, as BlueTriton exits Ontario

Activist group, Water Watchers, had reason to celebrate last month when water bottler BlueTriton announced it will cease operations in Puslinch, Ontario in January, 2025. The group’s website beamed “We Won” and said the exit was a “historic win for water justice.”

To get a better understanding of the issues surrounding bottled water in Ontario, Canada, Great Lakes Now contacted Arlene Slocombe, executive director of Water Watchers and McMaster University Professor, Dawn Martin-Hill and founder of the Indigenous Studies Program at McMaster University. 

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Great Lakes Now Ontario

Canada is one step closer to burying nuclear waste in northwestern Ontario

6 min read

Canada is one step closer to burying nuclear waste in northwestern Ontario

By Fatima Syed, The Narwhal

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS, Michigan Public and The Narwhal who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.