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What’s that Smell?
Every day we are exposed to hidden dangers in our personal care products, the food we eat, and the clothes we wear; but did you know that there are also dangers lurking in the place where you rest your head? Our mattresses are supposed to be a restful haven, a place where we can feel comfortable and relaxed to charge up for the next day of wrangling with kids, or facing a stressful work place. Unfortunately, they may also be exposing us to dangerous toxic chemicals. While tabling at the New England United for Justice Expo, I heard the personal story of a women saddened by the loss of her
Michigan’s Outdated and Dangerous Combined Sewer Systems
Many of Michigan’s urban and suburban areas expanded rapidly between the 1920s and the 1950s — an era with different priorities for water management. Many of Michigan’s water systems were originally built as combined systems, meaning the pipes carried both stormwater and wastewater. These systems simply discharged all water directly into local lakes, rivers, and streams, without treatment. Wastewater treatment centers were built later, and the combined sewer pipes were redirected there for the water to be processed before being released back into the water table. Starting in the mid-1950s
Protecting Michigan’s Waters: Infrastructure for the Future
Michigan is the Great Lakes state. As such, Michigan residents are acutely aware of our duty to protect the Great Lakes and our water resources for future generations. There are currently many threats to our water here in Michigan. Most of these threats have been looming for years, but action on them has been pushed off, as our legislature procrastinates and ignores the problems instead of taking the hard steps that action requires. The Flint water crisis brought the dangers of lead infrastructure and poor oversight from the state to the surface and a city was poisoned as a result. Every year
Michigan’s Aging Septic Systems
E. coli is a major bacterial pollutant in Michigan’s water. While E. coli is commonly talked about in reference to combined sewer overflows and large-scale agricultural operations, there is another major source of E. coli in our water that every state in the country other than Michigan has worked to eliminate — leaking and failing septic systems. Michigan is currently the only state that does not require regular inspections of septic systems, and the problem is only getting worse with time. Septic systems are generally found in rural areas where municipal sewer systems don’t exist, or in older
PFC Contamination in Minnesota
Clean Water Action supported the passage of new drinking water guidance levels for PFCs and the establishment of the state’s biomonitoring program. We advocated for strong landfill clean up plans and conducted public education and outreach on this ever evolving situation.
