Freshwater Future Weekly: June 17, 2022
This Week: Another Major Spill Impacts Michigan Rivers + Want to Work for Water? Check Out the Job Opportunities Listing + Michigan’s Citizens for Water Conservation Website Launch: Voice Builder Program + Meet One of Our Spring Project Grantees: WaterLegacy + Concerned About Your Community’s Drinking Water?
Another Major Spill Impacts Michigan Rivers
Leaking underground storage tanks at a chemical manufacturing plant in Flint, Michigan are the suspected source of contamination that has spilled thousands of gallons of an unknown oily substance into the Flint River this week. A subsequent no contact order with the Flint River was issued by the local medical health officer. The suspected source company has had several environmental violations in the past. This event follows right after last week’s 5,300 gallon oil spill from a steel mill in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada into the St. Mary’s River. Chemical and oil spill accidents are a very real threat to our waters in the Great Lakes region and strengthening efforts to enforce existing regulations and additional protections such as shutting down Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac are needed to avoid future catastrophes.
Want to work for water? Check Out the Job Opportunities Listing
Don’t forget to check out our bulletin of job and fellowship postings for employment and intern opportunities with our partner groups located across the Great Lakes region. Please reach out to [email protected] if your organization would like any job or grant opportunities posted on our site.
Michigan’s Citizens for Water Conservation Website Launch: Voice Builder Program
Freshwater Future’s Voice Builder Program is aimed at building communication and outreach capacity for our community groups. By providing them with critical tools like secure fundraising and engagement databases and integrated websites, we are helping them communicate with their community members on critical water issues. We are excited to announce the website launch of yet another program recipient, Michigan’s Citizens for Water Conservation. View the full list of 2022 Voice Builder Program recipients on our website.
About Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation: Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation protects Michigan’s surface and ground waters from pollution, plunder, and privatization through education, advocacy, and action. This true citizens’ group has been working to protect groundwater from water bottling depletion for over two decades. In an effort to help MCWC transition from relying on outdated forms of engagement and tracking, Freshwater Future has developed a database system allowing them to streamline their reporting, fundraising, and outreach activities as well as utilize the power of the internet to grow their supporters and efforts.
Meet One of Our Spring Project Grantees: WaterLegacy
Meet WaterLegacy, one of our 2022 Spring Project Grant recipients working to protect Lake Superior from toxic pollution through science, law and organizing. Located in Duluth, MN, WaterLegacy is committed to preventing pollution and destruction of water resources from mining development. Currently, they are working to ensure that the first copper-nickel sulfide mine in Minnesota will be regulated and enforced by the Clean Water Act. View the full list of 2022 grantees on our website.
Concerned about your community’s drinking water? Space still available for the All About Water Virtual Event, June 22, Register Today.
Don’t miss out on the upcoming All About Water Virtual Event on June 22. With a lineup of experts with diverse perspectives, we will share what you need to know about accessing federal funding to improve your community’s drinking water system. Learn more about the speakers here.