Environment

St. Clair River still battling old pollution

By |

By MEGAN McDONNELL
Capital News Service

LANSING — The St. Clair River that connects Lake Huron with Lake St. Clair has a long history of environmental problems that continues today, despite serious attempts to solve them. They are challen­­­­­­­­­­ges as diverse as E. coli bacteria that shut down beaches, industrial pollution by PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and mercury contamination so severe that residents are advised to limit their consumption of locally caught fish. Cleanup and sediment remediation projects have improved the river recently and it is beginning to flourish once again.

Environment

Dogs may pose threat to water supply, health

By |

By EDITH ZHOU
Capital News Service
LANSING – Environmentalists and public health experts want that new puppy to come with a lifetime supply of plastic bags, preferably biodegradable
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), the 78 million dogs in the United States create 10 million tons of feces annually, polluting waterways and posing a threat to public health. Michigan has 3,288 miles of coast line, the second only to Alaska’s, and all those beaches are irresistible to dog owners. “Pets can contribute fecal pollution to our waterways. This is mostly in the spring to fall when we are out enjoying the water with our pets,” said Joan Rose, the co-director of the Center for Water Sciences of Michigan State University. According to a survey by EPA, 40 percent of dog owners do not pick up their pets’ waste at all and all that waste pollutes waterways.