Flow Water Advocates

06/03/2026

Known throughout Michigan and the Great Lakes region for his engaging books and decades of environmental leadership, Flow's senior policy advisor Dave Dempsey has spent more than forty years helping protect and preserve one of the world's greatest freshwater treasures.

Join Dave at the Caledonia's Farmers Market in Caledonia, MI on Saturday 9:30 to noon, and get a signed copy of his newest book, "The Great Lakes: Fact or Fake?".

Ink-a-Dink Children's Bookstore welcomes Michigan author, environmental policy expert, and Great Lakes advocate Dave Dempsey for a special author appearance...

06/02/2026

Enbridge wants permission to pollute Lake Michigan and the Straits of Mackinac — we're talking billions of gallons of discharge, for several years. Let's speak up and be the voice for the Great Lakes.

06/01/2026

For decades, Maude Barlow has been a leading voice in the global movement to protect water as a human right and public trust. In this interview, she reflects on the growing threats to freshwater and why safeguarding water is essential to democracy, public health, and future generations. It's a timely conversation for anyone who cares about the future of the Great Lakes and our shared water resources.

Check out the interview here!

In "Earth for Sale," Barlow "exposes the danger" in privatizing natural resources. "When will we say enough?"

05/29/2026

What makes a wetland, a wetland?

In recent years, courts and the two Trump Administrations have taken direct aim at the very definition of wetlands under the 1972 Clean Water Act, opening vast areas of previously protected wetlands to development.

For now, most Michigan’s wetlands remain protected thanks to a 1979 state law that has a broader definition than the one pronounced by federal courts.

But Michigan legislators have introduced a bill (H.B. 5536) that would roll back the state’s wetlands definition to the weaker federal definition. Flow Water Advocates has resolved to stop this legislation.

This week marks the third anniversary of one of the biggest recent blows against U.S. wetlands. In Sackett v. EPA, decided on May 25, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated CWA protections for millions of acres of wetlands.

Ignoring science, the Court ruled that the CWA covered only wetlands with a continuous surface connection to navigable waters like lakes, rivers, and streams. But many wetlands connect to navigable waters through sub-surface flow and aquifers. These wetlands are essential to drinking water and aquatic health, and should be protected.

“America’s wetlands provide numerous benefits, including absorbing and storing flood waters, filtering water pollution, and providing valuable fish and wildlife habitat. The Sackett ruling undermines those benefits,” said Liz Kirkwood, executive director of Flow Water Advocates.

Maintaining Michigan’s protective definition of wetlands is vital for the state’s water quality and habitat. The 1979 state law has slowed what had been runaway wetland loss. Prior to 1978, Michigan lost 4.27 million acres of its original 10.74 million acre of wetlands — an average annual loss of more than 30,000 acres. But between 1998 and 2005, Michigan lost only 1,157 acres annually.

05/28/2026

Do you have a favorite photo of the Great Lakes? The International Joint Commission is looking for images that capture the many ways people connect with these waters, from recreation and stewardship to everyday moments along the shoreline.

Winning photos may be featured in IJC publications, social media, postcards, and an upcoming Great Lakes water quality report—submit up to six photos and help showcase the importance of the Great Lakes. Happy sharing!

Submit your photos of the Great Lakes for a chance to be featured in the IJC’s social media and upcoming assessment report.

05/27/2026

Congrats to Maryann Lesert and her incredible book Land Marks!

I just found out that Land Marks won a 2026 Nautilus Award (Silver) in Fiction. I'm so honored and happy that I rush-created this busy graphic to announce! Thanks--SO MUCH!--to the people and organizations that have uplifted this story.

05/27/2026

Join us for an unforgettable evening on June 14 at 7pm at Traverse City West High school with Terry Tempest Williams, one of America's most celebrated environmental writers and advocates, as she discusses her powerful new book, "Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary."

In conversation with bestselling author Doug Stanton, Williams will explore beauty, resilience, and our relationship with the natural world in a time of profound change. Don't miss this inspiring Traverse City National Writers Series in Traverse City on June 14. 🌿📚 💧

“I go to Terry Tempest Williams for the reasons I go to Whitman and Thoreau: to recover a capacious spirit and to rejoin the urgent living world. She gives me something bigger than hope.”

05/20/2026

Failing septic systems don’t just create expensive problems for homeowners — they can contaminate groundwater, lakes, streams, and drinking water. Michigan’s Septic Replacement Loan Program is helping homeowners afford critical repairs with low-interest loans, including 1% financing for many qualifying households. Since launching, the program has already supported hundreds of projects across the state, helping protect public health and Michigan’s waters for future generations.

The two-year old Septic Replacement Loan Program is now accessible to more Michigan homeowners.

05/19/2026

Factory farms squared off against state environmental regulators in court once more as a coalition of Michigan farmers and agricultural industry groups sought to challenge a number of new environmental permit conditions intended to protect the state’s waterways.

05/18/2026

"Once people come together, their work builds trust. That is breaking down divides, and making our entrenched, nationalized politics local again.

Ryan Wagner, founder of the Northern Michigan Hunters club, used to think of himself as a strong MAGA supporter. He owned a hat. He once created a page called “Freedom from Tyranny.”

But when preparations for a data center began in his small town of Kalkaska, in northern Michigan, he joined forces with Seth Bernard, a left-leaning musician and environmental activist."

Americans have soured on data centers, polls show, and the sentiment is profoundly bipartisan. How will that change our politics?