Just a few new items from the past week regarding threats to the surface and groundwater resources of the nation, the Great Lakes and the Midwest region.

WOTUS under attack by Trump Admin

First up, from Our Dailey Planet, comes new that the Trump administration is rolling back another environmental protection.  This time it’s the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule under attack.  If the rule change goes through the Clean Water Act would be undermined.  Read more here.

 

PFAS Found in More Drinking Water Supplies

Again from Our Daily Planet we learn that the toxic fluorinated chemicals known for short as PFAS are being found in more drinking water sources nationwide that previously known (up from 18 to 108).  The chemicals are primarily used in firefighting foams and are widely used at military bases (the total number of bases affected is now up to 297 from 207).

Here is the complete list of military bases on which PFAS have been found.  Sites in the MIdWest Great Lakes chapter region are well-represented (not in a good way.)

Last week, “the Department of Defense Task Force looking into the problem, found that the drinking water at an additional 90 current and former Army and Army National Guard installations nationwide is contaminated with the toxic fluorinated chemicals called PFAS, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), which obtained the information via a Freedom of Information Act request. The Army told Military Times that “despite the confirmed presence of PFAS in the drinking water, no one is taking in unsafe levels of the chemicals, because their filtered water complies with Environmental Protection Agency guidelines,” but EWG argues that “even at low levels PFAS can increase risks of serious health problems.”

Read more here . . .

Great Lakes freighters may have to treat ballast water to curb invasives

From Wisconsin Watch and the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, comes an in-depth journalistic story about the long, and continuing battle to keep aquatic invasive species out of the Great Lakes, and an update on current efforts to legislate steps that large freighters would have to take to precent continued transport of aquatic insides into the Great Lakes.  Read more here . . .