Environment

Published March 19, 2019

Harper Woods to get clean and green at Earth Day event

HARPER WOODS — The Harper Woods Beautification Commission is putting out a call for anyone who wants to pitch in for Earth Day.

Published March 18, 2019

Woodward Talk

DTE nears end of tree trimming in Berkley

BERKLEY — This year already has proven to be a windy one in Michigan, with numerous days hitting speeds of more than 20 miles per hour. A strong windstorm can knock out power in homes easily, especially with the help of tree branches that grow into nearby power lines.

Published March 15, 2019

Warren Weekly

Probe underway after substances spotted in Warren’s Bear Creek

WARREN — Efforts to contain and track the source of possible pollutants were underway March 13 after a “yellow-ish substance” and a “petroleum sheen” were observed in a section of Warren’s Bear Creek, near 11 Mile and Mound roads.

Household hazardous waste items, including paint and paint products, will be accepted at a township collection event for environmentally friendly disposal and recycling April 13.

Published March 14, 2019

West Bloomfield Beacon

Household hazardous waste event in West Bloomfield to collect recyclable items

WEST BLOOMFIELD — The township will hold its popular biannual Household Hazardous Waste Day 9 a.m.-2 p.m. April 13 to collect old and unused items that are unsafe to put in a landfill.

Published March 12, 2019

Grosse Pointe Times

Shores, Farms officials hope to spur Wayne County to address crumbling seawall

GROSSE POINTE SHORES/GROSSE POINTE FARMS — “Let’s get the damn seawall built,” District 1 Wayne County Commissioner Tim Killeen, D-Detroit, said during a Feb. 19 Grosse Pointe Shores City Council meeting, paraphrasing Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s campaign catchphrase, “Let’s fix the damn roads.”

Published March 5, 2019

C&G Newspapers

Feds announce effort to help states, communities combat PFAS

LANSING — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced in February that it will respond to “extensive public interest” in the dangers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, with a multifaceted action plan.

Published March 5, 2019

C&G Newspapers

As PFAS testing and research continue, will those impacted even know?

OAKLAND COUNTY — Back in June of 2018, the treated drinking water that serves two mobile home parks in northern Oakland County tested positive for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS.

Published February 27, 2019

Southfield Sun

Make your spring cleaning green

SOUTHFIELD/LATHRUP VILLAGE — When you break out your sponges and mops for spring cleaning this year, local recycling experts are encouraging you to go green. According to officials at the Resource Recovery and Recycling Authority of South Oakland County, there are a few ways to reduce resources while cleaning.

Published February 26, 2019

Grosse Pointe Times

State representative talks ecosystems with students

GROSSE POINTE WOODS — The sixth-grade students who attend Parcells Middle School have become experts in Michigan’s ecosystems. The students recently studied a unit on the state’s ecosystems. An ecosystem is a community of all living and nonliving things in a specific geographic area. On Feb. 25, the students shared their findings via a PowerPoint presentation with State Rep. Tenisha Yancey, D-Harper Woods, who visited the school.

Published February 21, 2019

Madison - Park News

Company, owner plead guilty to illegally storing hazardous waste

MADISON HEIGHTS — A Madison Heights-based company and its owner/president have pleaded guilty in federal court in Detroit to illegally storing hazardous wastes.

Published February 18, 2019

Shelby - Utica News

Shelby Gardeners Club learns about succulent care

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — On Valentine’s Day, the Shelby Township Gardeners Club held a presentation at the Burgess-Shadbush Nature Center on the care and different types of succulents.

City officials say that additional green space could qualify Madison Heights for more grant money.

Published February 8, 2019

Madison - Park News

Madison school board wants to preserve green space at Halfman

MADISON HEIGHTS — The Madison District Public Schools Board of Education is considering ways to ensure that the green space at the former Halfman Elementary remains a park.

Published February 6, 2019

Grosse Pointe Times

GPCRDA committee to meet with agents about marketing incinerator property

GROSSE POINTE CITY — If governmental bodies made New Year’s resolutions, a top one for the Grosse Pointes-Clinton Refuse Disposal Authority would be finding a buyer for the GPCRDA’s long-vacant former incinerator parcel at 33701 Lipke Road in Clinton Township.

A September 2018 photo from inside a Macomb County shows the fatberg. Now, researchers at Wayne State University are utilizing a state grant to further study such phenomena.

Published February 4, 2019

C&G Newspapers

Wayne State University researchers to study fatbergs

METRO DETROIT — Macomb County residents may recall how a “fatberg” was discovered and was subsequently removed at the Clintondale Pump Station in September 2018. Now, local college professors are studying how to prevent such entities from backing up drains in the future.

Published February 4, 2019

Shelby - Utica News

Succulents spruce up the garden, spread color

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — The Shelby Township Gardeners Club will be bringing back memories of warmer weather ahead of the spring season with a presentation on a trendy and colorful plant that is simple to care for.

Published February 4, 2019

Shelby - Utica News

Plans for natural gas pipeline to pass through 3 communities

SHELBY TOWNSHIP/UTICA — The construction of a new steel natural gas line is quickly approaching for Shelby Township and Utica — as soon as May.

Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller and Chapaton Retention Basin assistant manager Kris Benda stand in the testing lab at the Chapaton Retention Basin in St. Clair Shores.

Published February 1, 2019

C&G Newspapers

Public Works uses caution when frozen ground, snow melt and rain collide

MACOMB COUNTY — Macomb County Public Works employees at the Chapaton and Martin retention basins prevented more than 30 million gallons of combined sewer overflow from spilling into Lake St. Clair Jan. 24 after rain and snow melt combined to fill the basin.

Published February 1, 2019

Madison - Park News

Nature Initiative pitches new approach to yards

HAZEL PARK — The well-manicured grass turf lawn is a staple of suburban communities — but it’s not the only approach one can take with their yard. In fact, there are alternatives that are better for the ecosystem yet still straightforward to maintain and pleasing to the eye. The Hazel Park Nature Initiative is a new program that seeks to educate the public on these options while working on local ordinances that will enhance the city’s natural landscape.

Published January 29, 2019

Royal Oak Review

Royal Oak to restructure stormwater utility billing

ROYAL OAK — A $2 million settlement reached in a class-action lawsuit against the city of Royal Oak required the city to change how it bills residents for the debt service on the Oakland County Water Resources Commission’s George W. Kuhn Drain.

Published January 29, 2019

Birmingham - Bloomfield Eagle

Beverly Hills tests water

BEVERLY HILLS — A series of water testing is almost complete, according to village officials. The water testing was mandated by the state after it was discovered that one Beverly Hills village home had an abnormally high reading for lead.