🎣 #PFAS accumulates in fish tissues and can cause adverse health effects in humans upon consumption. The #GreatLakes PFAS Action Network developed a tool to help Michigan anglers determine if their catch is safe to consume. 🔗 michiganadvance.com/2025/12/11/p...

🌊 Ocean currents function like a giant conveyor belt, pushing water around the globe. As the arctic warms, that conveyor belt slows down, and could eventually stop altogether. Researchers traveled to Greenland to study how these currents are changing. 🔗 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/c...

The Center's work examines a broad set of issues shaping the future of water sustainability and governance. Our 2025 publications highlight policy needs related to AI-data centers, flood protection, PFAS, abandoned boats, and more. Check them out below! uwm.edu/centerforwat...

Now Hiring: Water Policy & Science Communications Fellow! Fully funded 2-year graduate fellowship at UWM’s School of Freshwater Sciences (Fall 26–Spring 28). Looking for candidates passionate about water policy + science storytelling. Apply by 1/31/26! uwm.edu/centerforwat...

🚰Wisconsin’s Safe Water Drinking Loan program provides grants for water infrastructure upgrades. The program awarded funding to two Wisconsin towns: Dickeyville + Hales Corners. The upgrades will combat PFAS contamination and replace aging wells. www.wpr.org/news/latest-...

🌱 The midwest is home to wetland resources left vulnerable due to proposed regulations. The #EPA and #ArmyCorps have proposed new rules that would leave millions of acres of wetlands unprotected. Public comment on the proposed rule is open until 1/5/26 🔗 www.circleofblue.org/2025/water-p...

Center Director Melissa Scanlan was quoted in a MKE Journal Sentinel article examining a municipal court trial about whether people have the right to walk along Lake Michigan’s shoreline below the ordinary high-water mark. www.jsonline.com/story/news/l...

Center Director Melissa Scanlan was quoted in a WUWM story on Great Lakes beach access. A Shorewood resident is challenging a trespassing ticket, arguing he was walking below the Ordinary High Water Mark. MI & IN rulings support similar public rights. 🔗 www.wuwm.com/shorewood-re...

The Great Lakes Compact doesn’t require reporting of #datacenters’ water use when they tap municipal systems. Prof. Melissa Scanlan warns this hides major water & #energy demands and urges more transparency + long-term regional planning. @wuwmradio.bsky.social www.wuwm.com/are-there-ru...

CWP Assistant Director Tressie Kamp was featured in a “Circle of Blue” article on wetlands. The article examines how wetlands mitigate flood-related property damage and how rollbacks to wetland protections leave these critical ecosystems vulnerable. www.circleofblue.org/2025/water-p...

Testing for #PFAS is still evolving. A study in Water & Ecology investigates changes in PFAS monitoring over the last 20 years. Monitoring is more robust than in 2003, but many testing systems lack field sensors that support broad monitoring. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

🚨 NEW Policy Brief: PFAS & Wisconsin's Drinking Water EPA set standards for 6 PFAS compounds in 2024, then signaled intent to rescind 4 in 2025. Our updated brief breaks down the legal context, timelines & what's next. 🔗 Read it: uwm.edu/centerforwat...

🎧 Science Vs just released an episode on AI’s environmental impacts. Host Rose Rimler spoke with Center for Water Policy Director Melissa Scanlan for background on data center research. The episode digs into AI’s energy + water use—and asks: Should you quit using AI? Listen now!

This week, CWP staff got a tour of the Neeskay, the School of Freshwater Sciences’ research vessel! The Neeskay is one of the only research vessels that goes out on the #GreatLakes year-round. SFS uses the vessel to study invasive species, climate, microbiology and more.

🍀 Last weekend, Dan Egan, CWP journalist in residence, traveled to Canandaigua, NY to speak about threats facing fresh water. Egan's talk emphasized the need for action from both individual landowners and the federal government to control toxic algae. www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2...

🌱 A proposed WI law would help communities replace PFAS firefighting foam with soybean-based alternatives. PFAS can contaminate waterways & harm firefighters. Could soybeans be part of the solution? 🔗 www.jsonline.com/story/news/p... #PFAS #Wisconsin

Center director Melissa Scanlan was quoted in Down To Earth on India’s growing data centre industry. “Air-based cooling systems don’t use water directly but still have an indirect water footprint through the electricity required to power them.” Read: www.downtoearth.org.in/science-tech...

The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy sued the city of Hermantown for lack of transparency in their review of a proposed #DataCenter project. The group has challenged the transparency of data center reviews across the state. 🔗 Read the article: www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...

The Army Corps of Engineers has issued a federal permit for Enbridge’s 41-mile Line 5 reroute in northern Wisconsin — before state approval. The pipeline would cross 200 waterways, 101 acres of wetland, and drill under the White River. 🔗 Read via Wisconsin Public Radio: www.wpr.org/news/army-co...

#PFAS can be found in #biosolids, an alternative to fertilizers that recycles nutrients from wastewater treatment plants. Today, towns in #Wisconsin—especially towns near paper mills—are facing PFAS contamination from biosolids. 🔗 Read the article: www.wpr.org/news/sludge-...

💧As AI drives a data center boom, communities face rising challenges around water, energy & transparency. Our Director, Prof. Melissa Scanlan, spoke with Straight Arrow News about the industry’s water footprint & the need for public accountability. 🔗 san.com/cc/a-data-center

🔨 Microsoft, Oracle, and OpenAI are investing billions of dollars to build #DataCenters in southeastern #Wisconsin. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel breaks down the similarities and differences of the Mount Pleasant and Port Washington data centers here: www.jsonline.com/story/money/...

🔎A new poll from Marquette University shows bipartisan opposition to data centers; 55% of Wisconsinites think the costs outweigh the benefits. 📄Learn more about the results of the Marquette Law School Poll here: madison.com/news/state-r... #AI #DataCenters #WaterPolicy

📢Last week, #Oracle and #OpenAI announced that they would be operating the “Lighthouse” #datacenter in Port Washington. The companies plan to invest $15 billion in the center as part of the $500 billion #Stargate program. 🔗 Read the article: www.jsonline.com/story/commun... #WaterPolicy

Read a new @wisconsinexaminer.com article examining mounting local debates surrounding data centers. Center for Water Policy's Melissa Scanlan emphasizes a need for comprehensive, statewide oversight to ensure that Wisconsin’s resources are managed sustainably wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/10/27/w...

🌊 #GreatLakes water levels are 15 inches below “normal” — the lowest they have been in a decade. Low water has impacted recreational boating, but has not had adverse effects on the environment, infrastructure, or shipping. 🔗 Read the article: lfpress.com/news/local-n...

🌱A new study published in the ACS Environmental Science & Technology found that yellow flag iris, a wetland plant, can remove #PFAS from water. These plants could be used in constructed #wetlands to treat PFAS contaminated #wastewater. 📄Read the article: www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/wetl...

🪏 A nonprofit group from Ashland, #WI rerouted a portion of Fish Creek to fight sediment in #LakeSuperior. Much of that #erosion is the effect of clear-cutting forests over a century ago. 🔗 Read the full article here: www.northernnewsnow.com/2025/10/14/n...

📢 Environmental advocates are raising concerns over the use of #PFAS in piping, cables, and electronics in data centers. #DataCenters are not required to disclose the type or volume of chemicals they use. 🔗 Read the article here: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

We’re excited to welcome Sydney Peterson, Undergraduate Communications Intern for Fall 2025, to the Center for Water Policy team! Sydney will be helping share stories about our research and events —highlighting how water policy connects science, communities, and the Great Lakes.

🏄 In “Troubled Water,” a new documentary from PBS, two Michigan men paddle from the Straits of Mackinac to Lansing to call attention to the potential risks of Enbridge’s #Line5 pipeline. The film's creator calls it “a love letter to the #GreatLakes.” 🎥Watch here: www.pbs.org/video/troubl...

👟 As winter shortens around Lake Michigan, people spend more time in parks + soils thaw earlier, creating a perfect environment for erosion. Park managers are encouraging visitors to stay on the trail. 🔗Read the article here: www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l...

🎥Watch our new short video & discover how UWM’s School of Freshwater Sciences is transforming #Milwaukee’s Inner Harbor from a legacy of industrial use to a model of innovation, sustainability, and connection to the #GreatLakes. www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsBR...

Center for Water Policy Director Melissa Scanlan was featured in a recent @npr.org article examining the rapid expansion of #datacenters across the United States and the accompanying environmental challenges. Read it here! www.npr.org/2025/10/14/n...

🤖You may have heard that using AI has a large water footprint. But how can that footprint be so big? An article in “The Conversation” breaks down how data centers use water- directly and indirectly- to power LLMs and how usage varies across centers. theconversation.com/ai-has-a-hid... #AI #Water

State decision-makers are struggling to agree on how to address #PFAS contamination. Current bills aim to prevent the spread of PFAS in biosolids, but regulators say exemptions would prevent the DNR from holding polluters accountable. 🔗Read the article: www.wpr.org/news/wiscons...

This week, Microsoft announced it is cancelling its plans for a data center in Caledonia. They stated they will continue to invest in southeastern Wisconsin and may seek to build elsewhere in Racine County. 🔗 Read the article here: www.jsonline.com/story/money/... #AI #DataCenters

Data centers power AI + the cloud, but their environmental costs are hidden. 💧 Some use 25% of local water ❓ Incomplete reporting clouds the full impact Read CWP’s new article in Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5560480 #DataCenters

This October, the Wisconsin DNR proposed a new rule to meet more stringent federal PFAS standards. The state could face civil action from the EPA if they fail to comply with federal standards. 🔗Read the article here: wpr.org/news/wiscons... #Wisconsin #PFAS #ForeverChemicals

💧 Data centers & the environment: Join us on Oct 15 (6:30–8 PM) at Riveredge Nature Center to discuss water use, energy demands & transparency in Wisconsin’s data center boom. 🔗 Register here: secure.riveredgenaturecenter.org/nx/portal/ne... #DataCenters #WaterPolicy #Wisconsin #Sustainability

Director Melissa Scanlan joined the Water Talk podcast to discuss how data centers use water and their impact on the Great Lakes.🎙️💧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts! #DataCenters #WaterPolicy #GreatLakes www.watertalkpodcast.com Hosts: @fkearns.bsky.social @mallika-nocco.bsky.social

Center for Water Policy Dir. & Prof. Melissa Scanlan spoke with witf / LancasterOnline on data centers’ water use, noting secrecy makes it hard for communities to assess impacts before approval. 📰 Read: www.witf.org/2025/09/27/d...

“One of the big take aways from our research is that confidentiality or non-disclosure agreements undermine the ability of the public to know what is going on before signing on the dotted line.” Melissa Scanlan on AI data center environmental governance www.watertalkpodcast.com/episodes/epi...

Center for Water Policy Director Melissa Scanlan spoke with @620wtmj.bsky.social about the water impacts of data centers on the Great Lakes. She calls for a regional approach to oversight. 🌊 Read more: uwm.edu/centerforwat... #GreatLakes #WaterPolicy

New records show the Mount Pleasant data center will use 234k gallons of Lake Michigan water daily. Plus, Microsoft just announced plans for another. Article: www.jsonline.com/story/money/... Our research: uwm.edu/centerforwat... #datacenters

The $17M South Shore Cruise Dock (2026) will welcome the largest Great Lakes liners—boosting ships, jobs & the local economy. Meanwhile, the Port Milwaukee DMDF project links tourism, restoration & public access. 📰 Article: www.jsonline.com/story/money/... 🎥 Video: youtu.be/7QtPKcPNI8s

The #Line5 tunnel differs from what MI agreed to in 2018: • 10ft sealed → 21ft unsealed • Shallow/incomplete rock sampling • Fractured, “poor” rock + voids • 25k gal/day groundwater inflows • Methane risk near shale Experts warn of safety concerns. flowwateradvocates.org/line-5-tunne...

💻 Data centers are spreading fast across the Great Lakes — and straining already finite water supplies. CWP Director Melissa Scanlan is featured in a new @chicagotribune article. 📰 @chicagotribune: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/10/g... 📑 Our ABA report: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Exciting news from the Center for Water Policy! 🌊 Anna Watson & Emilie Washer join as Sea Grant Water Science-Policy Fellows Will Matuska joins as Water Policy & Science Communications Fellow They’ll strengthen our water research, policy, and outreach efforts this year.

🚤 Abandoned boats are piling up on Wisconsin’s shores—threatening safety, the environment & taxpayers. Who’s responsible for removal when owners vanish? And how can state policy speed up solutions? 👉 Read our new policy brief: uwm.edu/centerforwat...