Stormwater rules roil Minnesota cities→

Josephine Marcotty, reporting for the Star Tribune:

“More than 200 Minnesota cities, from tiny Lauderdale to wealthy Rochester, will have to devise ways to keep the rain where it falls as part of a controversial new mandate designed to protect urban streams and lakes from the dirt and pollutants that wash off streets and yards along with the stormwater.

The cities, for the first time, will be required to maintain or reduce the volume of runoff leaving their systems, under a stormwater management plan approved Tuesday by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency governing board. The plan also requires the cities to account for their share of pollutants such as phosphorus and sediment that foul many urban lakes and streams.”

This is an important step in addressing lake pollution within cities. Perhaps we can start to think about non-point pollution oming from agricultural lands.

Cocaine, DEET, other chemicals found in Minnesota lakes→

Dan Gunderson, reporting for MPR:

“A new study of Minnesota lakes finds more evidence that water across the state contains a wide range of chemicals.

The largest study of its kind ever done in Minnesota shows chemicals from household products, prescription drugs and illegal drugs are common in Minnesota lakes. ”

— http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/water/water-monitoring-and-reporting/water-quality-and-pollutants/endocrine-disrupting-compounds.html

What we use in our homes, our gardens, and in our manufacturing and agricultural industries, ultimately ends up in our lakes and rivers. Are you surprised about these results?

Observed Atmospheric CO2 Hits 400 Parts Per Million→

Over at Slashdot:

“Over the past month a number of individual observations of CO2 at the Mauna Loa Observatory have exceeded 400 parts per million. The daily average observation has crept above 399 ppm, and as annually the peak is typically in mid-May it seems likely the daily observation will break the 400 ppm milestone within a few days. This measure of potent greenhouse gas in the atmosphere should spark renewed discussion about the use of fossil fuels. For the past few decades the annual peak becomes the annual average two or three years later, and the annual minimum after two or three years more.”

One should always worry when something changes dramatically.

The Keeling Curve A DAILY RECORD OF ATMOSPHERIC CARBON DIOXIDE FROM SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY AT UC SAN DIEGO

AT&T cell phone tower diminishes Minnesota’s prized northern wilderness→

Stephen Wilbers, reporting for MinnPost:

“Last summer there were no permanent structures visible from Ella Hall Lake to mar the wilderness horizon. But if you paddle Ella Hall Lake this summer, you’ll see the top of AT&T’s newly constructed 450-foot cell phone tower, with its white strobe light blinking by day and its red beacon light flashing by night.

Goodbye, wilderness.”

Get ready for more White Bear Lakes: Two new looks at groundwater depletion→

Ron Meador, reporting for MinnPost:

“Two new reports on Minnesota’s groundwater resource deserve more attention than they’ve been getting. One, from the U.S. Geological Survey, updates and elaborates its findings that falling water levels in White Bear Lake are largely attributable to increased groundwater pumping by city water systems to the north and west. Another, from the Freshwater Society, sets that lake’s predicament in the context of a much larger problem — a huge increase in groundwater pumping all across Minnesota during the last quarter-century.”

Sierra Nevada Lake Contains Atmospheric Contamination from Bronze Age→

Peter Suciu, reporting for redOrbit.com:

“Scientists have found atmospheric contamination, which is due to heavy metals and is currently a severe problem throughout the world, is not a recent fact and can be traced back to pre-historic times. This explains how the Romans may have contaminated the lake. The team of researchers, which included scientists from the Andalusian Institute of Earth Sciences and the University of Granada, discovered evidence of atmospheric pollution caused by lead. The team found traces of lead in a lagoon in Sierra Nevada (Granada) at an altitude of 3,020 meters and determined it was the result of pollution.”

Humans have been using lead for a long time, and we keep making the same mistakes with this toxic element.

Pinellas lake pollution to cost unincorporated residents→

Anne Phillips, reporting for the Tampa Bay Times:

“Lake Tarpon and Lake Seminole are extreme examples of costly restoration projects in Pinellas, but some commissioners say they are hearing a growing number of complaints about other polluted lakes and creeks. And the County Commission is awakening to the realization that reversing decades of fertilizer runoff and drainage problems is going to be expensive.”

Glimmer of hope for freshwater research site→

Hannah Hoag reports:

“The Ontario provincial government has stepped in to keep open the Experimental Lakes Area. The freshwater research facility located in northern Ontario was closed in March by the government of Canada, despite protests from scientists.”

Good news, as an incredible amount of lake research was produced from the ELA, including eutrophication and acid rain studies. xplore the work from this facility at: http://www.experimentallakesarea.ca

Minnesota Running Out of Water?→

Paul Austin writes:

“A recent study by the Freshwater Society of Minnesota looked at the groundwater issues Minnesota is currently facing. From their research, they came up with a plan for reducing the strain we currently place on our aquifers. The plan will take some personal responsibility and some political leadership to attain.

The basic thrust of their report was that we cannot maintain our current trajectory when it comes to water usage and not expect to run out of water in certain places. Their analysis indicated that the state’s water usage increased 31 percent between 1988 and 2011. To cut that number, we need to start looking at ways each and every one of us can decrease our personal usage, and work with the various levels of government to ensure that where voluntary reductions are not working, mandatory backstops are in place to help protect this valuable resource.”

Spring Cleaning For Eelpout Party Not Good Enough→

From WCCO:

“Plattner says he’s picked up frozen carpet, cans, bottles and firewood from the lake. He now worries about what hides under the fresh snow brought on by recent storms. “There’s all kinds of human waste out there,” he said. “Just everything that you can imagine.” From his house, he’s had a front-row seat to the Eelpout Festival for 25 years. And with each passing winter, he’s grown more frustrated with what’s left behind.”

Each of us has a responsibility to pick up after ourselves out on the lake.

Huge ‘green’ parking lot will reduce Lake St. Clair pollution→

Chad Selweski, reporting for Macomb Daily:

“For two decades, Macomb County officials wrestled with the pollution problems plaguing Lake St. Clair and have concluded that a major cause of the foul waters is the rainwater that runs off of streets and parking lots into the lake.”

We solve our storm water runoff problems acre by acre.

Endocrine disruptors in water: Minnesota is ahead of Wis. in testing→

Kate Golden, reporting for MInnPost:

“Dozens of pesticides have been associated with endocrine disruption. Pesticides have commonly been detected in surface waters, and in an estimated one-third of drinking water wells in Wisconsin, according to a survey by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Endocrine disruptors mess with the body’s signaling systems, which respond with exquisite sensitivity to tiny amounts of hormones like estrogen or testosterone. Hormones regulate growth and development, stress response, metabolism and a host of other functions.

High levels of exposure to certain endocrine disruptors have been found to cause diabetes or cancer. But even exceptionally low doses may be harmful”

Lake Elmo wrestles with boat noise near Catholic retreat→

Kevin Giles, reporting for the Star Tribune:

“The Jesuit retreat grounds, and nearby Carmelite campuses for cloistered nuns and hermits, cover fully a third of the Lake Demontreville shoreline. “I think there is a great deal of respect and reverence for what happens there with the Jesuits and Carmelites among lake owners,” Zuleger said. Boaters unfamiliar with the situation confuse the retreat grounds with a park, trespassing for picnics and parties and leaving litter behind...”

In crowded shoreline areas, surface water ordinances regulated time of ome activities are becoming more common.

Flooding forces sewage to be diverted into Lake Michigan→

Michael Hawthorne, reporting for the Chicago Tribune:

“After several days of rain, an overnight deluge overwhelmed Chicago’s underground labyrinth of aging sewers and giant tunnels Thursday, forcing a noxious mix of sewage and stormwater into local waterways and Lake Michigan.”

The city's old sewer infrastructure can not handle the volume of water, so it ends up polluting lakes and rivers. Time to invest in the basics (e.g., waste management) instead of luxuries (e.g., big roads dominated by single-occupancy cars). 

South Milwaukee flushing untreated wastewater to Lake Michigan

Owners agree to stop dumping ash from Great Lakes' last coal-fired ferry→

Ron Meador, reporting for Minnpost:

“After years of pretending to explore alternative fuels, while investing heavily in congressional intercession, operators of the last coal-fired passenger vessel on the Great Lakes agreed on Friday to stop dumping mercury-laden coal ash into Lake Michigan.”

Finally.

New Concerns About Plastic Pollution in Great Lakes ‘Garbage Patch’→

Lisa Borre, reporting for National Geographic, Water Currents:

“Although scientists have studied plastic pollution in the oceans since NOAA researchers discovered the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” in 1988, a team of scientists is conducting the first-of-its-kind research on the open water of the Great Lakes. One of the team members presented preliminary results of a study on the topic at meeting of the American Chemical Society.”

Was George Carlin's facetious remark that humans exist to create plastic correct?

Drug Pollution Stressing our Streams→

From the Science Blog:

“Pharmaceuticals commonly found in the environment are disrupting streams, with unknown impacts on aquatic life and water quality. So reports a new Ecological Applications paper, which highlights the ecological cost of pharmaceutical waste and the need for more research into environmental impacts.”

Again, why are we discharging our waste into our rivers?

Sustainable Living?

It is best to live in a community and to be part of a civil society. A place where people care about the well-being of others. Other ways of life seem uncivil or harsh, regardless of their sustainability:

After 27 years of burglaries, 'North Pond Hermit' is Arrested

For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact, Unaware of WWII

Apollo 11 F-1 Engine Recovery (Rocket Science)→

Bezos Expeditions:

“The F-1 rocket engine is still a modern wonder — one and a half million pounds of thrust, 32 million horsepower, and burning 6,000 pounds of rocket grade kerosene and liquid oxygen every second. On July 16, 1969, the world watched as five particular F-1 engines fired in concert, beginning the historic Apollo 11 mission. Those five F-1s burned for just a few minutes, and then plunged back to Earth into the Atlantic Ocean, just as NASA planned. A few days later, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon.”

A 1950s engine remains a marvel of invention. Sometimes we need to explore the past to help us in the present. Evolution of this rocket science:

How NASA brought the monstrous F-1 “moon rocket” engine back to life

New F-1B rocket engine upgrades Apollo-era design with 1.8M lbs of thrust

Lots of Cars and Trucks, No Traffic Signs or Lights: Chaos or Calm?→

Sarah Goodyear, reporting for Altantic Cities:

“No traffic lights. No traffic signs. No painted lines in the roadway. No curbs. And 26,000 vehicles passing every day through a traditional village center with busy pedestrian traffic.”

Watch the video. Mitigating the dependence of vehicles through town.