environment

St. Clair County Health Department Part of Pilot Program to Look for Early Outbreaks

A three-month pilot program is underway to look for early signs of COVID-19 outbreaks in sewer water. It’s a dirty job, but testing wastewater is an effective way to get a jumpstart on slowing down community spread of the virus that is wreaking havoc on the world. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services have awarded around $10 million in federal CARES Act money to twenty recipients statewide to have their municipal wastewater tested for COVID. Twenty-nine health departments are participating in the study, including St. Clair County. According to EGLE and MDHHS, testing wastewater for viruses can be an effective tool for monitoring transmission. The virus is shed in human waste, including by people who are not ill or have not yet become ill. Once detected, local public health actions to prevent further spread in their communities can take place. A webpage with the results of the wastewater sampling is available to the public. 

EGLE – State of Michigan COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance Pilot Project

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Effort to Stop Nestle’ Water Bottling Loses Appeal to EGLE

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, EGLE, has dismissed a case that challenged the permit that allowed Nestle’ Waters North America to increase water withdrawals. The company was granted a permit to ramp up water withdrawals from a source near Evart, Michigan, in 2018.

Currently, the company pays $200 to draw 130 million gallons of water per year. EGLE dismissed the appeal on the grounds that it should have been filed in circuit court.

EGLE Director Liesl Clark said, “EGLE remains committed to protecting our state’s valuable water resources, but as a regulatory agency we must act within our statutory authority. The Safe Drinking Water Act only allows EGLE to hold contested case hearings under very limited circumstances which are not present in this case.”

Clark went on to blame the previous administration for allowing the permit in the first place and called on the legislative branch to “update regulations to give the agency more authority over water withdrawals for bottled water and royalties to compensate Michiganders for the commercial use of the state’s freshwater resources.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Blue Water Area Conservation District Awarded Grants from MDARD

The Blue Water Area Conservation District has been awarded three grants to help implement voluntary conservation projects on private lands.

The District, which assists with soil and resource conservation in Macomb, Sanilac, and St. Clair counties, received grants totaling $149,500 to implement the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program to teach land stewardship practices and prevent agricultural pollution.

The District also received a $69,000 grant for their portion of the Conservation Technical Assistance program which employs conservation experts statewide. They also received a $78,500 grant for the Produce Safety Program to help farms of all sizes voluntarily improve produce safety. The Blue Water District was one of only six in the state to receive the Produce Safety Grant.

The awards are among $6.5 million granted by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Environmental Stewardship Division to 57 Michigan Conservation Districts.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Funding Natural Resources Trust Fund on the Ballot with Proposal 1

What is Proposal 1? It is a proposal to allow money from oil and gas mining on state-owned lands to continue to be collected in state funds for public land preservation. It allows for the State Parks Endowment Fund to cap at $800 million and subsequent money to go into the Natural Resources Trust Fund. It also specifies percentages of funding that would go into state park improvement, recreation areas, and land conservation.

Those in favor of the proposal, such as conservation and business groups, say that a yes vote puts money into the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, which has been protecting drinking water sources, natural outdoor spaces, and wildlife habitats. They say that Proposal 1 will expand the Michigan Natural Resource Trust Fund.

Those against the passage of the proposal, such as the Thumb Land Conservancy, say, it’s passing “will forever reduce the amount of money spent each and every year on important land and habitat protection projects.”

Voters will decide whether to change the funding or leave it alone when they vote on Proposal 1 on November 3rd.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

St. Clair County Drain Commissioner Race Heats Up

The St. Clair County Drain Commissioner Race is one of the hottest local contests on the ticket this year, with Democrat Fred Fuller challenging incumbent Republican Robert Wiley.

Longtime residents might think they are having a flashback to the 1990s when they see the “Fred Fuller for Drain Commissioner” campaign signs in yards around the county. Fuller held the Drain Commissioner position from 1997-2008. He originally ran to fight the dredging of Mill Creek, which flows through the town of Yale, where he resides and has served as mayor. Eventually a compromise was reached and Mill Creek mostly remains in its natural state. Fuller points to frustration with expensive studies instead of maintenance as one of his reasons for running for his old job again.

Incumbent Drain Commissioner Robert Wiley has been in the office since 2008. Wiley’s office has been instrumental in the mitigation of damaged wetlands in Fort Gratiot and the construction of the Veterans’ Memorial Wetlands Preserve. Wiley is in his third term as Drain Commissioner.

The Drain Commissioner position pays just under $80,000 per year.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Welcome Surprise: Wild Rice Seems to Deter Phragmites on Harsens Island

Wild rice seems to be keeping invasive phragmites at bay near Harsens Island in Clay Township. Representatives of the Thumb Land Conservancy (TLC) and the Blue Water Indigenous Alliance explored the region recently and found several acres of wild rice along the Middle Channel.

Phragmites are tall, prolific weeds that are wreaking havoc on waterways around the state. They grow in dense patches and drown out native species. According to a press release from the Thumb Land Conservancy, the wild rice crop is expanding on the island and there is little or no invasive species where the rice is growing. The rising lake level seems to be helping, as the wild rice tolerates the deeper water better than the phragmites.

TLC reported that, “For now, there are some good things happening ecologically along the shores of the Saint Clair River delta and this may be part of a long-term pattern for survival of native marsh vegetation like wild-rice.”

Landowners in the area are encouraged to gather and scatter the wild rice seeds along the waters’ edge in an effort to stave off the invasion of phragmites.

Reporting for WGRT -Jennie McClelland