Freshwater Future Weekly: August 18, 2023
Our Favorite #WeAreLakeErieDay Posts, Memories, and Photos; Water Shut-offs Resume in Detroit, Potentially Endangering Thousands; Take Action Now-Deadline August 20th: Protect the Menominee River from an Open-Pit Metal Mine; Great Coffee Starts with Clean Water – Buy a Lead Water Testing Kit and Get a Free Bag of Coffee from Superior Coffee Roasting Co.; Need Funds for Water Work in Your Community? Apply to Freshwater Future’s Fall Project Grants!
Our Favorite #WeAreLakeErie Day Posts, Memories, and Photos!
Fishing, beach days, and sunsets are just a few of the memories and appreciation shared this week on social media as part of #WeAreLakeErie day. While there is much to celebrate about Lake Erie, the lake also needs our help as it is plagued by harmful algal blooms. These blooms are caused by nutrient pollution, primarily from agricultural runoff. Lake Erie deserves our support and protection. Check out our blog post about #WeAreLakeErie day and a couple of our favorite posts are shared below! Environmental Defense (top) and the Clean Up Club (bottom) posted some lovely photos for #WeAreLakeErie day – Go check them out!
Water Shut-offs Resume in Detroit, Potentially Endangering Thousands
Hundreds of households in Detroit are in danger as a COVID-era moratorium ends after three years and water shut-offs began again this week. The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) is currently targeting 750 households in particular, although nearly 60,000 people in the city are behind on their water bills. Freshwater Future’s long term partner on water affordability advocacy, Monica Lewis-Patrick from We the People of Detroit and co-founder of the Water Equals Life (WEL) Coalition, highlighted how increasingly unaffordable bills, communication gaps, and under-marketed repayment plans have left many Detroiters with insurmountable water debt. She emphasizes that these shut-offs would exacerbate existing health disparities among low-income residents and calls for the moratorium to continue while the WEL Coalition works to pass state-wide legislation to create a low-income water affordability program. The WEL Coalition, co-founded by Freshwater Future, National Wildlife Federation, and We the People of Detroit, is a group of water justice organizations fighting for a low-income water affordability program that caps water bills at 3% of monthly income based on federal poverty level, erases water bill debt, and limits water shutoffs. Join us by taking the Water Affordability Pledge and find assistance here if you are facing shutoffs in Detroit.
Take Action Now-Deadline August 20th: Protect the Menominee River from an Open-Pit Metal Mine!
The Coalition to SAVE the Menominee River has worked tirelessly for years to protect the Menominee River from a proposed open pit metal mine. The type of ore that will be mined is found in rocks that produce toxic acid mine drainage when exposed to air and water. Historically, all mining operations involving sulfide-bearing rock have led to significant water pollution and waste disposal issues. After the mining company’s wetland permit was denied by regulators, it forced them to propose a different location for the pit to place mining waste. The new location, 400 acres adjacent to the Shakey River, a tributary of the Menominee River, requires a metallic minerals lease renewal from the State of Michigan. You can help! Submit a public comment urging the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to deny this lease renewal request today. Don’t wait until the public comment period ends on August 20th. Freshwater Future believes open pit mines should never be located in sulfide bearing rock, particularly near a source of public drinking water, because the technique exposes the entire mine to air and water, and thus the production of toxic acid mine drainage.
You can also join the Coalition to SAVE The Menominee River for their annual Water Celebration on September 16th! Come to Stephenson Island from 12 – 7 pm for raffles, contests, craft shows, bake sales, live music, and more activities!
Great Coffee Starts with Clean Water – Buy a Lead Water Testing Kit and Get a Free Bag of Coffee from Superior Coffee Roasting Co.
Delicious coffee starts with clean water. Superior Coffee Roasting Co. in collaboration with Freshwater Future and the Flint Community Lab are offering a lead water testing kit for $40 with the added bonus of receiving a complimentary 12oz. bag of coffee. If you’ve never had your home’s tap water tested for lead, now is the perfect opportunity to take action! You can purchase the kit through Superior Coffee Roasting Co. The kit includes testing supplies, instructions, and a box with free return shipping to the Flint Community Lab where your water sample will be tested for lead. After analysis you will receive a report from the Flint Community Lab. Take advantage of this great deal to indulge in the pleasure of a great cup of coffee from Superior Coffee Roasting Co. and gain information about lead and copper in your drinking water. To purchase a kit, click HERE now!
Need Funds for Water Work in Your Community? Apply to Freshwater Future’s Fall Project Grants!
Freshwater Future Fall Project Grants provide funding ranging from $500 to $5,000 (USD) for grassroots projects that protect water through advocacy efforts. Have a project that needs funding? Freshwater Future is here to help. Visit our website to see past grant projects and learn more about our grant programs at freshwaterfuture.org/grant-programs/. Sign up here for a Q&A Webinar on Freshwater Future’s grant programs on Wednesday, August 23rd, 2023 – 12 – 1pm (ET) to learn more about how to apply to support your water work.