FLOW and SRAP filed comments opposing the proposed KB Dairy project to protect the Pine River watershed. Strong oversight is essential to safeguard water quality, ecosystems, and community health. Learn more below!

Community voices are rising to protect the Pine River watershed. Residents spoke out at the KB Dairy hearing, urging regulators to prioritize water quality, public health, and the future of Michigan’s rivers. Watch the video!

Michigan’s rivers are a public trust. FLOW urges regulators to prioritize water quality, ecosystems, and communities in reviewing the proposed hydroelectric dam sale. Strong oversight now protects our waters for future generations.

Michigan is still the only U.S. state without a statewide septic system code, leaving roughly 1.3 million septic systems largely unregulated and contributing to widespread water pollution and public health risks. Learn more!

Congress let the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF) expire on Dec 31, 2025 — ending the tax that funded federal oil spill response and damage claims. Without it, states and taxpayers could shoulder cleanup costs if a major spill hits, like a catastrophic failure of Line 5 in the Straits.

Michael Cameron Dempsey’s legacy lives on through land conservation and support for protecting Michigan’s groundwater. His memorial fund gave Flow Water Advocates a grant to back student research on safeguarding the source of drinking water for over 4 million people.

World Wetlands Day highlights how traditional and Indigenous knowledge have guided wetland stewardship for generations—especially here in Michigan where native practices like caring for manoomin are tied to wetland health. Wetlands filter water, reduce floods, and sustain biodiversity.

Michigan’s state Senate just introduced legislation (SB 771) to create the state’s first-ever statewide septic system code — bringing oversight, performance standards, inspections, and enforcement to septic systems that now contribute to groundwater and surface-water contamination.

We argue the Michigan Public Service Commission failed to uphold its duty under the Michigan Environmental Protection Act and the public trust doctrine. The case, backed by tribes and environmental groups, now moves toward oral arguments in March as legal scrutiny of the tunnel permit continues.

Michigan already has dozens of data centers and more proposed, yet public policy hasn’t caught up to manage their impacts. Ensuring growth doesn’t sacrifice water resources and community needs is crucial as AI and cloud computing expand here. Learn more here!

Critics say this undermines decades of water protection and threatens water quality, while supporters argue it provides clarity and reduces regulatory burdens. The public comment period for the proposal closed in early January 2026.

400 million gallons. That how much animal wastes Gratiot County's 24 CAFOs generate and send into the watershed. Flow's own Chelsea Faber recently attended a public hearing for a new proposed CAFO in Gratiot County, and spoke with The New Lede's Brian Bienkowski:

On February 3 at 6 pm, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is holding a virtual public hearing on a proposed permit that would allow KB Dairy LLC to expand a massive dairy operation in Gratiot County. Register below!

Flow Water Advocates welcomes Hope McLellan-Brandt as the inaugural Denis and Martha Pierce Environmental Law Fellow! 🎉 Hope brings strong environmental law credentials — a JD & master’s in environmental law & policy — and supports Flow’s legal fight to defend the Great Lakes.

Flow Water Advocates has filed a brief with the Michigan Supreme Court challenging the permit for Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac. They argue the Michigan Public Service Commission failed to uphold its public trust duties to protect Great Lakes waters.

Flow opposes Michigan’s House Bill 4385 — the “sandbag bill” — because it weakens shoreline protections, undercuts the Public Trust Doctrine, and could invite more long-lasting plastic pollution along the Great Lakes. flowwateradvocates.org/michigan-hou...

Water is essential to life — and access to clean, safe water is recognized as a human right by the United Nations. Yet billions still lack it, and threats to the Great Lakes — from pollution to privatization — make protecting our shared waters more urgent than ever.

Federal court just blocked Michigan’s effort to enforce Gov. Whitmer’s termination of the 1953 Line 5 easement — siding with Enbridge’s claim that federal law overrides the state’s public trust role in protecting the Great Lakes.

For 14 years, Flow Water Advocates has stood for a simple truth: the Great Lakes belong to everyone. Not just this generation—or just humans—but the entire living water cycle. Support Flow’s work to protect our shared waters, for all time. flowwateradvocates.org/flow-water-a...

Michigan has some of the world’s richest freshwater—but bottled water companies profit while residents pay more. Big bottlers extract millions of gallons of public water for next to nothing, then sell it back at a markup, under weak oversight. flowwateradvocates.org/bottled-wate...

The U.S. Army Corps is reviewing a Horizontal Directional Drilling alternative to building the proposed Enbridge Line 5 tunnel through the Mackinac Straits. Flow details several critical deficiencies in the Corps' analysis: flowwateradvocates.org/line-5-tunne...

The Trump Admin has proposed a rule change that would open millions of acres of wetlands to development. But Michigan’s wetlands are better protected, thanks to a strong 1980 state law that helps defend Michigan’s 6.47 million wetland acres. flowwateradvocates.org/epa-army-cor...

This month marks 5 years since Gov. Whitmer and the DNR revoked and terminated the 1953 easement that had allowed Enbridge to locate and operate its dual Line 5 pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac. Why is Line 5 still operating, and what happens next? flowwateradvocates.org/line-5-easem...

We're taking the Line 5 pipeline tunnel to the Michigan Supreme Court. Here's why:

Our priorities include water infrastructure funding, tackling nitrate contamination in drinking water, factory farm pollution, and the need for a statewide septic code. We track state budgets closely because they signal real-world priorities. Read more: flowwateradvocates.org/michigans-ne...

A staggering amount of factory farm animal wastes degrades our lakes, rivers, household wells, and other waters. If approved, the KB Dairy permit in Gratiot County would create the largest dairy CAFO in Michigan. flowwateradvocates.org/flow-opposes...

How are factory farms in Michigan impacting our lakes, rivers, wells, and other waters? We're on a mission to find out: flowwateradvocates.org/flow-appeals...

Did you know that Michigan's territory includes 38,000 square miles of Great Lakes surface and lakebed? If Michigan's submerged lands were their own state, it would be bigger than Indiana.

Check out Flow's Policy Director Carolan Sonderegger's latest opinion piece in the @detroitnews.com! The piece highlights the importance of repairing Michigan's water infrastructure and the state of its current condition. Read it here: www.detroitnews.com/story/opinio...

It's simple: When a company makes a mess, it should clean it up. Learn about how Michigan can (once again) hold polluters accountable: flowwateradvocates.org/policy-brief...

We've got news that's going to make you want to grab a paddle and celebrate: Troubled Water is coming to PBS stations across the entire country! Learn more: www.oilandwaterdontmix.org/troubled_wat... #ShutDownLine5

The Michigan Supreme Court will hear Flow's appeal of the Line 5 tunnel permit: flowwateradvocates.org/michigan-sup... #ShutDownLine5 #ShutDownLine5NoTunnel #publictrust

The State of Michigan and its Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) have the power to deny the tunnel permit, and protect the Great Lakes and Mackinac Straits from years of construction upheaval, wetlands damage, and other risks. flowwateradvocates.org/faqs-egle-li...

This Thursday, EGLE will hold a public hearing on the state permit governing the discharge of factory farm waste to our waters. To learn more about this issue and how you can submit your comments, watch (and share!) our video briefing: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qICb...

Factory farms generate a staggering amount of waste, and it's hurting our waters. On Thursday at Noon, join us on Zoom for a briefing about the upcoming public hearing on factory farm waste permits in Michigan, and learn how you can make your voice heard. us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Over 750 contaminated sites in Michigan need immediate attention to address human health risks -- but because of limited staff and funding, it will be years before all of the sites are addressed. flowwateradvocates.org/michigan-con...

July 31 Webinar: Learn about how Michigan regulates factory farm waste discharges to our waters, and how you can make your voice heard: flowwateradvocates.org/factory-farm...

Did you know Great Lakes research helps protect the water you drink, the beaches you love, and the towns you call home? 🌊 From tracking pollutants to improving wastewater systems, scientists are making real impacts in coastal communities across the region. Read more!

We just learned late last week EGLE is now accepting public comments on Enbridge's proposed tunnel under Lake Michigan in the Mackinac Straits. Join us for a live webinar on Tuesday, and learn how you can make your voice heard: flowwateradvocates.org/line-5-webin...

Join us for a Line 5 webinar on Tuesday, as we unpack recent legal developments, explain why the tunnel the answer for Michigan, and talk about how you can get involved. Details and registration: flowwateradvocates.org/line-5-webin... #ShutDownLine5 #ShutDownLine5notunnel

“The residents of #Wyandotte are being promised that there is nothing to be concerned about...The response from the water system officials is just, ‘Everything is fine, nothing to worry about.’ It doesn't instill confidence.” www.michiganpublic.org/environment-...

The best predictor of future behavior, is past behavior. #ShutDownLine5 #ShutDownLine5NoTunnel #MackinacStraits #PublicTrust #LakeMichigan #LakeHuron

Kayak the Pine River with Carrie and see the water pollution and the impacts on the Pine River yourself. #PineRiverWatershed #FlowWaterAdvocates #PineRiverStories #CarrieLaSeur

“A rural community’s sole source of drinking water deserves the highest standard of protection, and our review indicates EPA has fallen short” - Carrie La Seur, Legal Director for Flow Water Advocates and Counsel for Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation. flowwateradvocates.org/flow-challen...

Lawmakers in Lansing have introduced important new legislation to strengthen cleanup standards for water and soil contamination, improve public health, and save taxpayers millions of dollars. flowwateradvocates.org/polluter-acc... @jeffmirwin.bsky.social @jasonmorganmi.bsky.social

We are sharing some very exciting news! For Love of Water (FLOW) has a new name: Flow Water Advocates. Meet the new Flow: flowwateradvocates.org/flow-water-a...

The tunnel might sound like a reasonable solution to the vulnerable, aging Line 5 pipelines running through the Mackinac Straits, but there are a lot of reasons why Michigan can -- and should -- reject the tunnel: forloveofwater.org/enbridge-lin... #ShutDownLine5

"'For whatever reason, BASF...just decided that the city of Wyandotte isn't of enough concern to stop discharging illegally while they do the long-term, elegant engineering solution,' said Carrie La Seur, legal director for For Love of Water (FLOW), a Traverse City-based environmental nonprofit."

FLOW has joined a coalition of over 350 farm, food, and rural organizations calling for the passage of the Honor Farmer Contacts Act, introduced by @booker.senate.gov, which would order the USDA to unfreeze contracts that were targeted by DOGE. forloveofwater.org/flow-support...