Wetlands, lakes would lose protections under Michigan bill

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


John Flesher and David Eggert, Associated Press
Updated 6:24 pm CST, Tuesday, December 18, 2018

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan legislators were poised Tuesday to remove legal protections from many of the state's wetlands and other inland waterways, which provide wildlife habitat and perform vital tasks such as preventing floods.


A bill approved by a House committee would eliminate a requirement to obtain state permits before dredging, filling or otherwise degrading many waterways.

. . .

Those totals could jump significantly because the measure also would tie Michigan's definition of regulated waters to federal policy, which President Donald Trump's administration this month proposed weakening. Up to 3 million acres of wetlands — nearly half of the state's total — no longer would be shielded if the proposed Trump regulation takes effect, along with 21,600 of Michigan's 36,000 miles of streams, the DEQ said.

. . .

Scientists describe wetlands as "nature's kidneys" because they filter pollutants that otherwise would flow into lakes and streams. They're also home to a rich variety of birds and other wildlife and provide spawning areas for fish.


Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Wetlands-lakes-would-lose-protections-under-13475994.php

[pazzyanne]

1. In the 1970s and 1980s in Minnesota there were massive drainage ditches

dug to drain wetland areas and restore the land to farming. What happened is that the water that the wetland areas put into the ground, now ran off into the river systems instead. Areas of Minnesota became arid and crops decreased due to lack of water over time. Irrigation was tried, but was ineffective because the ground water levels were too low. To make a long story short, the state implemented programs that promoted restoring wetland areas with modern technology. not just digging ditches. Minnesota has some programs to pay farmers to preserve wetlands threatened by ditch projects, but they have not been funded in recent years. Right now, state wetlands dollars are being used largely to restore wetlands that have already been drained, not to preserve the ones that remain. Those wetlands are not only providing rejuvenated ground water levels, but also are nesting areas for massive numbers of water fowl. It is hard to drive through Minnesota without finding baby ducks and geese with their parents in almost every slough (wetland area) you drive by. In fact, those water fowl families literally stop traffic when they are crossing rural roads!

[LakeSuperiorView]

2. Not just rural roads.

I used to work in a building that had a storm water pond across a major street. It was not uncommon to see traffic at a halt as ducks and geese crossed the street. The water coming out of the storm water system had been warmed by the earth, so the pond remained ice free, except in the very coldest weather. Waterfowl were there year round.

This was in an inner ring suburb of the Twin Cities.

[pazzyanne]

3. It happens in St. Cloud and Alexandria also.

I've been a holding position 10 or more minutes on more than one occasion in both of those cities. When I worked in St. Cloud a mom duck was trying to move her babies across a main thoroughfare during rush hour. I got out of my car and herded them into the KFC parking lot with great patience from the commuters using the road. Not one car honked or yelled at me. I called the DNR who showed up 20 minutes later and moved the family to a safer location.