A significant percentage of beaches that surround the Great Lakes tested positive last year for potentially unsafe levels of bacteria. Wisconsin is highlighted in a new report that compiles federal data. In its latest "Safe for Swimming?" summary, the group Environment America notes 63% of beaches tested in the Great Lakes region last year had at least one day of fecal contamination that exceeded the EPA's Beach Action Value. That tool helps states determine whether a beach is safe enough to go swimming.

John Rumpler, clean water director with Environment America, said the results underscore how much pollution is plaguing areas meant for the public to enjoy.

"All too often, hundreds of America's beaches have enough pollution to put swimmers at risk - and that's just unacceptable," he explained.

The report's authors looked at data from more than 300,000 samples across the U.S. that were sent to the EPA. For Wisconsin, more than 100 beaches were tested last year, and 76 had at least one day of potentially harmful levels of the bacteria in question. The group said key sources of pathogen pollution that can make swimmers sick include stormwater runoff and sewage overflows.

And in the Midwest, there is concern about the presence of so-called factory farms in connecting the dots, Rumpler said.

"It's possible that manure from some of those animal operations is also contributing to the kind of bacteria that we're seeing on these beaches," he continued.

To prevent these results from becoming more widespread, the report recommends putting moratoriums on industrial-scale livestock operations or adopting policies that stop manure from flowing into waterways. Another listed solution is repairing and modernizing sewage systems. Those types of infrastructure projects stand to benefit from the bipartisan infrastructure law adopted by Congress in 2021.


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Volunteer water monitoring is gaining popularity in West Virginia, and could help assess the impact on regional water quality of projects like the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

Jenna Dodson, West Virginia Rivers Coalition staff scientist, said a training session being held near Talcott on October 21st can help residents identify erosion and sedimentation changes from pipeline development. She pointed out the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection does not have the bandwidth to regularly collect data for the state's more than 33,000 miles of rivers and streams, but community water monitoring can fill in gaps.

"The data collected from community monitoring complements the data collected from state agencies to give a more complete picture of river and stream health," she explained.

Over the summer the EPA identified more than 300 additional streams missed in the state's latest list of impaired waterways, and is accepting public comments on the inclusion of the streams until October 18th.

Dodson noted water quality data is used in various types of permitting processes for both industrial and municipal discharge.

"For example, a housing development or industry coming in to see if and how those changes are affecting long term water quality trends," she continued.

She added when community members monitor the same site frequently, they become very familiar with what the typical conditions are, including pH, dissolved oxygen, and presence of bacteria. They are usually the first ones to sound the alarm on environmental and public health issues from a chemical spill or other source of pollution, she said.


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Michigan water rates have surged more than 40% since 2010, and it is a trend that's expected to continue as cities and utilities work to upgrade aging systems.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said people shouldn't be paying more than 4.5% of their monthly income for water and sewer services.

Monica Lewis-Patrick, co-founder, president and CEO of We the People of Detroit, said water rates can run as high as 25% of some households' income.

"When a person is spending that much just to access water, then we know some other things are being challenged," Lewis-Patrick explained. "In terms of their access to food, being able to pay their rent, clothing, medical needs, those kinds of things."

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill to invest nearly $280 million for water infrastructure projects, but Lewis-Patrick argued there is a lot more to be done.

If water rates rise at projected amounts in the next five years, the percentage of U.S. households finding their water bills unaffordable could triple, from almost 12% now, to more than 35%.

A 2021 report in the Journal of Public Health estimated 100,000 Detroit households had been disconnected from water and sanitation services since 2013.

Lewis-Patrick suggested people contact their state lawmakers to ask them to make water affordability a priority, and legislate lower-income households have water bills capped at no more than 3% of their income. She added families should also be protected from water shut-offs while they are going through the process to attain protections.

"We need our legislators and our governor to work in tandem," Lewis-Patrick stressed. "To make sure that we're not only ensuring that resources are going to the utilities, but we're ensuring there's a legislative protection that keeps water on for as many Michiganders as possible."

Last month, after years of public campaigns and $45 million in federal aid, the EPA confirmed Benton Harbor complies with safe water requirements. Almost all the system's pipes were replaced, but residents were told in the next five years, water bills will grow 10% annually.

It is estimated around 200 communities across Michigan are overburdened with the cost of their water infrastructure.


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With kids in South Dakota and around the nation back in school, the issue of whether all students and staff have access to safe drinking water remains a focal point of education and environmental groups. They want federal officials to update a key rule.

Organizations such as the National Parent Teacher Association and National Education Association have sent the Environmental Protection Agency a letter - asking it to bolster the Lead and Copper Rule, which regulates the levels of these contaminants in public drinking water.

Environment America signed on to the letter too, and the group's Clean Water Director John Rumpler said despite more awareness about the dangers, students and teachers still are at risk.

"What the data shows us, from the last few years," said Rumpler, "is that lead contamination of schools' drinking water is in fact, widespread."

Recent findings from his group show that more than 70% of schools in several states have confirmed instances of lead contamination.

The Biden administration is carrying out funding initiatives approved by Congress to remove lead pipes. That includes $426,000 to address the matter in South Dakota schools.

But Rumpler said updating the federal rule would compel more states, school boards and utilities to respond.

The agency is expected to consider the matter this fall, and advocates say they want the EPA to be aggressive.

Despite an overhaul of the Lead and Copper Rule in 2021, Rumpler still described it as "weak" in protecting kids. He added that this is not just a concern regarding schools that were built decades ago.

"The federal standards limiting the amount of lead in plumbing and faucets and fountains was only updated as recently as 2014," said Rumpler, "which means it's quite likely that school buildings that are only a decade old have a substantial threat of lead contamination."

The coalition says those materials should be replaced. Meanwhile, it says only schools that provide their own water are regulated under the federal rule.

For these buildings, the letter calls on the EPA to require filters to remove lead and set a one-part-per-billion limit on lead in water. They say those changes would also help guide school districts that use public water systems.




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