Keepers of the Water Festival

The first annual Keepers of the Water Festival will be held on June 21st at Algonac (AL-gun-ack) State Park near Lake St. Clair in Michigan. Its goal is to encourage better stewardship of the Great Lakes. It’s expected to draw participants from all over the region. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tracy Samilton reports:

Treaty Needed for Water Diversion?

The announcement that Ontario is withdrawing its permit for a privateCanadian company to export Lake Superior water to Asia isn’t enough forone Wisconsin member of Congress. He’s calling for a treaty negotiationbetween Washington and Ontario. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s MikeSimonson reports:

Commentary – Reducing Backyard Waste

With Spring upon us, the weather has allowed us to spend some time planting in the garden and cleaning up the yard. But did you know that yard waste accounts for about fifteen percent of total household trash? Great Lakes Radio Consortium Commentator Bob Lilienfeld tells us how to reduce organic waste coming from our lawns:

Drinking Water Linked to Miscarriages

A new government-sponsored study of three California towns has turned up a potentially serious finding: that some tap water could be dangerous for pregnant women. The study is the first to find that high levels of chemicals used to disinfect water could increase the risk of miscarriage. That’s raised a red flag at the Environmental Protection Agency. And now the EPA’s moving quickly to see if the California findings hold true elsewhere. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson Halpert reports:

Female Hormones Found in Waste Water

Millions of American women rely on birth control pills to prevent pregnancy. Millions more depend on replacement hormones to prevent symptoms of menopause like hot flashes and osteoporosis. Both medications contain a synthetic version of the female hormone estrogen. And now, researchers at the University of Mississippi found that some of that estrogen ends up in wastewater. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Frenkel has more on the potential effects:

Low-Flush Toilets Make a Splash

It’s one of the most private, intimate parts of our lives — in fact, most people talk more readily about sex than they do about what goes on in the bathroom. But now, toilet talk is heating up over a federal mandate requiring all new toilets to flush with no more than one-point-six gallons of water. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson has the story:

Great Lakes Stories – Two Teens

There are hundreds of environmentalists, scientists and government bureaucrats who spend their time working to improve or protect the environment of the Great Lakes. Why do they do it? What is their personal connection to the Great Lakes … Today two teenagers talk about why they’ve become interested in environmental issues. The first is Nicki Marsh, the second is Susan Schulte: