Managing access to beaches where roads meet the water isn’t always clear.

A recent study found almost 90 percent of storm water outfalls tested in Milwaukee contained human sewage.

Those interested in the Great Lakes now have a new outlet to learn about negotiations regarding the water quality agreement between the U.S. and Canada.
Great Lakes United, a coalition of environmental groups and citizens dedicated to protecting and restoring the lakes, has launched a blog, Agreement Watch. It hosts periodic updates of the binational proceedings.
The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement is a formal pact between the two governments specifying shared goals and objectives for protecting and restoring Great Lakes water quality.
The governments are renegotiating the terms of the agreement …

Little additional land has been converted to cropland since the 1950’s, but a recent study reports that changes in its use could pave the way for more dead zones in the Great Lakes.

Asian carp may be close to infiltrating the Great Lakes through Minnesota waterways.

Genetic material testing turned up 22 positive hits for silver carp 50 miles upstream of the St. Croix River, a tributary of the Mississippi River.

The first European mariners to explore the upper Great Lakes set sail 332 years ago last Sunday.
Navigating the Niagara Falls proved too tricky for explorers before 1679, when Robert La Salle built a ship from scratch above the falls and cruised to Lake Michigan.
A super cool segment of Yahoo! Who Knew? explores the history of European adventures on the world’s largest freshwater bodies of water.
A sunken ship believed to be La Salle’s Le Griffon was found on the bottom of Lake Michigan in 2004; the French government claimed the “Holy …

Something slithers beneath the surface of the Great Lakes and it’s not a sea lamprey.

It might look similar, but the mysterious American eel isn’t a sucker.

And it’s in trouble. Its population is decreasing dramatically and no one is sure why.

With more than 10,000 miles of shoreline, the Great Lakes have the most freshwater access in the world — at least, in theory. There are growing conflicts over who can do what where roads meet the water.
AUG. 3:
Are beaches public where roads end?
A western Michigan court case embodies the abiding conflict between private property owners and the public over rights to Great Lakes shorelines at road ends.

AUG. 10:
Public docks spark conflicts where roads end at Great Lakes waters
Public docks create murky water for townships trying to calm public-private tensions at …

For most people, docks are a way to enjoy the Great Lakes and inland waters. But for townships trying to calm public-private tensions where roads end at the water, docks are a big headache.