Water

Republican gubernatorial nominee John James discussed his plan to protect Michigan’s waterways with residents near Lake St. Clair Thursday. Colin Jackson has more.

Michigan’s water infrastructure needs billions of dollars in repairs to maintain safety for the public. WEMU's Caroline MacGregor reports.

Based out of Adrian, the Raisin Valley Land Trust was dedicated to preserving natural habitats in Washtenaw, Lenawee and Jackson counties. This past January, the land trust was dissolved and had its assets transferred to the Legacy Land Conservancy, which guaranteed the protection of 700 acres of land. Raisin Valley Land Trust co-founder Sybil Kolon looked back on her conservation work and shared her hopes for the future with Rebekah Warren.

With numerous recent bouts of severe weather, managing stormwater is more critical than ever. The city of Ann Arbor will soon release its new Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan, which will bring more eco-friendly infrastructure to the city. Rebekah Warren discussed the plan with Ann Arbor Water Quality Manager Jennifer Lawson.

The Great Lakes hold one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water, but they're facing growing pressures from invasive species, pollution, aging infrastructure and new demands for water. Rebekah Warren and Lisa Wozniak took a closer look at the challenges facing our Great Lakes with Joel Brammeier, President and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, on a fundraising edition of "1st Friday Focus on the Environment."

The Michigan state budget for Fiscal Year 2027 officially takes effect on October 1. Like all state budgets before it, this one has important factors related to environmental protection and conserving natural resources. Rebekah Warren and Michigan League of Conservation Voters President/CEO Lisa Wozniak took a closer look at these factors with Michigan State Senator Sarah Anthony of Lansing.

Residents in the Middle Huron River Watershed are facing an escalating environmental challenge as warmer summers and severe storm events increasingly trigger harmful cyanobacteria blooms, which threaten recreational water use, local wildlife, and the health of our regional impoundments like Ford Lake. Rebekah Warren discussed the matter and the actions being taken to fight it with Ric Lawson, director of programs for the Huron River Watershed Council.

A creek on the west side of Ann Arbor is being restored to improve the city’s stormwater quality. WEMU’s Ana Longoria reports.

For years, Washtenaw County’s relationship with the "forever chemicals" known as PFAS has centered on massive industrial pollution along the Huron River, like the Tribar industrial spill upstream. Yet, a two-year, proactive study by the Multi Lake Water and Sewer Authority entirely flips that script, revealing that the low-level PFAS consistently detected in local wastewater isn’t a corporate spill—it's coming from everyday consumer products used inside Dexter and Lyndon Township homes. Rebekah Warren discussed the study and what actions may come from it with Daniel Brown, climate resilient specialist and emerging contaminant for the Huron River Watershed Council.

It's the first "1st Friday" with former state lawmaker Rebekah Warren and Michigan League of Conservation Voters President/CEO Lisa Wozniak as your hosts. For this month's edition of "1st Friday Focus on the Environment," Rebekah and Lisa talked about the current state of the Great Lakes with Cameron Davis, who served as a senior advisor to the administrator of the EPA and as "Great Lakes Czar" during the Obama administration.