MICHIGAN State of the Great Lakes 2020 REPORT 2020 State of the Great Lakes Report 1 Overseas Hitchhikers ...................................................................................... 26 TABLE OF CONTENTS New federal regulatory framework is proposed to control unwanted travelers found in ballast water of ships plying the Great Lakes Last Line of Defense ........................................................................................ 29 Agreement between Michigan, Illinois and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a significant step in keeping invasive carp out of Taking Bold Action ..............................................................................................4 Great Lakes Governor Gretchen Whitmer says protecting the Great Lakes today will have lasting impact for generations Clean Water Champion .....................................................................................30 Building on Success .............................................................................................5 Public advocate’s mission is to inform, support and collaborate on drinking water issues EGLE Director Liesl Eichler Clark says we made significant strides this past year, now we need to keep the momentum going Protecting Water Resources ..............................................................................32 The Great Lakes At-a-Glance ............................................................................. 6 Keweenaw Bay Indian Community takes historic step toward developing water quality standards that contribute to community wellbeing A look at some of the issues that impact the lakes bordering Michigan Fighting for Lake Erie .......................................................................................34 Leading on Justice ...............................................................................................8 Adaptive Management Plan another tool to help Michigan reach goal of reducing harmful algal blooms New EGLE office helps to sustain communities along the Great Lakes through the lens of Environmental Justice Testing for Pathogens ....................................................................................... 36 Climate’s Impact on Water ................................................................................10 Technique honed for beach water sampling now also used to identify COVID-19 hotspots Michigan’s climate, energy, and water infrastructure initiatives drive community resiliency and water stewardship Legacy of Achievement .................................................................................... 38 Historic High Waters .........................................................................................13 Lower Menominee River Area of Concern delisting was 35 years in the making State, federal and local partners collaborate on coordinated response to rising water levels Status of Michigan AOCs ..................................................................................40 Creating Resilient Communities .......................................................................16 Significant progress is being made around the state as cleanup work continues New tools, planning help coastal communities strive and thrive in light of constant change Making Economic Waves .................................................................................. 42 Community Case Study .....................................................................................18 Reports by Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and Michigan Sea Grant demonstrate broad jobs impact from lakes Grand Haven city and township collaborate on sustainability changes to their master plans Green Jobs ........................................................................................................ 44 International Cooperation .................................................................................19 Michigan’s New Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry plants seeds for continued economic growth Great Lakes Commission works to translate a network of climate resiliency efforts into a comprehensive action plan Training Future Leaders ...................................................................................46 Peering Below the Waves ..................................................................................20 From Students to Stewards initiative aims to build lifelong connections with lakes and inspire tomorrow’s decision-makers Lakebed 2030 initiative provides a vision for a comprehensive mapping of Great Lakes bottomlands Restoring Great Lakes Reefs .............................................................................22 MICHIGAN.GOV/EGLE | 800-662-9278 Work is taking place around the state to rehabilitate important fish spawning habitat Prepared by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy on behalf of the Office of the Governor (April 2021) 2 2020 State of the Great Lakes Report 2020 State of the Great Lakes Report 3 Building on TAKING BOLD ACTION We made significant strides this past year, Protecting the Great Lakes today will have lasting impact for generations Success now we need to keep the momentum going has put Michiganders and While my administration continues to work e faced new challenges and opportunities for the than ever. Regina Strong, Americans everywhere to the test. Great Lakes State in 2020, as we continued to 2020 toward a lasting infrastructure that protects W EGLE’s Environmental Justice While fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, we public health, it’s become even more clear do the work to protect and restore the world’s largest Public Advocate, and her office saw a historic, 500-year flooding event in that we’re facing a global climate crisis freshwater resource. This year provided opportunities are focusing on transformative Mid-Michigan that forced thousands of that will directly impact our environment, for learning and adapting to new experiences, with the approaches to engage with residents to evacuate their homes. economy and residents, with communities COVID-19 pandemic resulting in nearly all Department people and communities in a of color and low-income Michiganders of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) staff more meaningful and inclusive Despite these unprecedented suffering disproportionately. working remotely. We have continued to serve our 10 manner. All of the work we circumstances, Michiganders continue to million Michigan residents by ensuring that we carry out do must be informed by our prove that tough times don’t last, but tough Michigan continues to see climate-fueled our mission to protect Michigan’s environment and public collective efforts to engage with the public to address people do, and by taking bold action, we can disasters, including high water levels, health by managing air, water, land and energy resources. public health, equity and Environmental Justice in build a stronger, more sustainable state historic flooding and toxic algal blooms. communities across Michigan. for our children and future generations. The science is clear, and its message is One silver lining from the COVID-19 pandemic has been This past year has been unpredictable, but we’ve matched urgent: the earth’s climate is now changing faster than at the renewed interest among Michiganders to reconnect This year has also provided opportunities to think about that uncertainty with bold actions to take on crises facing any point in the history of modern civilization. to the outdoors and enjoy our water playground. We how we build back a stronger, more resilient and adaptive our waters, public health and economy. look forward to building on that renewed connection to Great Lakes State from an environmental, economic and Action in the next decade will be paramount to reducing further drive Great Lakes stewardship. social perspective. EGLE will lead the Michigan Council COVID-19 highlighted several public health disparities the harmful impacts of the real threat of climate change, on Climate Solutions, which will craft and implement the across our state, including the need for access to clean so we’ve launched the MI Healthy Climate Plan. It sets We remain steadfast in our work to address issues Governor’s MI Healthy Climate Plan. water. Which is why early on during this crisis, I ensured some of the strongest goals in the country for combating ranging from emerging contaminants such as PFAS, that at-risk households had access to clean water for climate change. Our goal is a 100 percent carbon-neutral impacts from severe storm events and stress on our This 2020 State of the Great Lakes report is a testament handwashing and sanitation by requiring service to be Michigan by 2050. The transition will mitigate the future infrastructure systems, to high water levels, changing to the hard work of our staff and our many partners at reconnected to residences that experienced shutoffs due impacts of climate change and enable Michigan to take climate, and the continued threat of invasive species. the local, state, regional and binational levels to protect, to inability to pay. This action has provided crucial services full advantage of the global energy transformation — from restore and promote our precious freshwater resources. to people across the state who need access to clean and the jobs it will generate for our skilled workforce to the This year also brought many new opportunities, This has never been more important as we face the affordable water. protections it will provide for natural