The Buffalo River was subjected to a great deal of industrial contamination years ago. Efforts at pollution prevention and cleanup have helped to rehabilitate the water way, but a great deal of contamination still exists in the sediment at the bottom of the river. These contaminants can still have a negative effect on economic, social, and environmental uses of the river, but an ongoing collaboration between a number of agencies is working right now to clean up and restore the river bottom.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo Niagara RIVERKEEPER, Honeywell and several other affiliated public and private entities have teamed up to complete a two-year dredging project that will remove 1.2 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment, which will provide a clean and supportive environment for local, native species to flourish.

Part of the work is being performed under the Great Lakes Legacy Act, which revitalizes once-thriving waterways through sediment cleanups and restoration. The act requires at least 35 percent of the project cost to come from non-federal partners. IISG’s Environmental Social Scientist Caitie McCoy has provided expertise for the project. For example, she prepared the publication The Buffalo River Restoration Project: Frequently Asked Questions. The FAQ gives detailed information on the Buffalo River Restoration Project, including the project’s timeframe, funding, impact, and more.

What do you get when you combine an aquarium, a greenhouse, and a fish farm? The answer is aquaponics.

Aquaponics is the process of operating fish farming and hydroponic plant farming in a contained system where the water is circulated, filtered, and reused between both. Here’s how it works. The water in the fish tanks builds up waste that need to be filtered out to keep the fish healthy. But this waste can actually provides nutrients for plant growth so in an aquaponic setup, that water is used to hydroponically grown plants. The plant roots filter the water by taking up and using these valuable nutrients. By circulating the water through the system in this way, both the plants and the fish benefit, and the water is reused. The system also provides a natural environment where vegetables, herbs, and fish are all raised organically.

For a great explanation of the process, as well as a tour of what an aquaponic system can look like, watch this video.

If you would like to learn more about aquaponics, contact IISG Aquaculture Marketing Specialist Kwamena Quagrainie.

As the year ends, top ten lists begin to crop up, putting the year’s events in perspective and celebrating accomplishments. IISG has put together our own list of successes from projects that have come to fruition in recent years, and here is an example: 

IISG presented a seminar on climate change, land use, and human health impacts to the Northern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) Environmental Management Planning Committee. The seminar led to the development of a climate change steering committee, which drafted a resolution on climate change for the NIRPC Board of Trustees. Sea Grant also participated in this process.

The NIRPC Board of Trustees approved the resolution requiring that any future planning and funding efforts that NIRPC puts forth incorporate climate change components, especially green infrastructure. This kind of action provides positive action on climate change issues, both in the near term and in the future planning. It also fosters an impact at the local level, where communities and residents will benefit directly from the improvements.

Join IISG in taking a look at some of the projects we’ve been involved in during the past year or two. There have been a number of important initiatives that are already benefiting communities throughout the Great Lakes region, and here is just one example:

Flushing unused medicines is a bad idea. for aquatic wildlife, and for us–these chemicals can end up in local rivers and streams as well as drinking water sources.  IISG has been at the forefront in efforts to to raise awareness on this issue and to help communities organize local medicine collection programs.

IISG and the Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program created permanent medicine collection programs in several Great Lakes communities, and Sea Grant has purchased 15 medicine collection boxes for communities that now have ongoing pharmaceutical collection programs in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

As a result of the program, 15 Great Lakes communities collected 4,600 pounds of medicine in 2010 alone, preventing all of that from entering the water supply and negatively impacting the environment.

Pictured here is the drop box in Peru, Illinois and the local team that worked to make it happen. For more information on medicine collection programs and proper disposal of pharmaceuticals, visit the IISG webpage on Safe Disposal of Unwanted Medicines.

As 2011 winds down, top ten lists begin to crop up, putting the year in review and celebrating recent accomplishments. IISG has put together our own list of successes that have come to fruition in recent years. Here is just one example:

Illinois EPA provided funding to IISG to study the costs and effectiveness of green infrastructure as a way to replace or supplement existing stormwater management. The study showed that on average, green infrastructure practices are equally effective in managing stormwater, while costing less to establish and maintain. Martin Jaffe, environmental planning specialist, presented these findings to the Illinois General Assembly.

As a result, the Illinois General Assembly established a $5 million discretionary fund to support green infrastructure projects in communities throughout the state. In addition, because of this study, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning 2040 Regional Comprehensive Plan, adopted in the fall of 2010, recommended incorporating green infrastructure practices in future development.

Managing urban stormwater is a significant matter facing communities throughout the U.S. – including northeastern Illinois and surrounding areas. Increasing storm intensity and aging infrastructure are combined threats to existing stormwater management, but green infrastructure may provide a useful and effective approach to these issues.

The most common poisons that threaten our beloved pets are our own medicines—ibuprofen, acetaminophen, antidepressants, and ADHD medications. Any medication, even those prescribed for a pet, can pose a risk to dogs or cats who decide to eat what they find.

For this reason and more, the National Sea Grant College Program and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) have forged a formal partnership to raise awareness about the need for proper storage and disposal of unused medicines.

Pets, of course, are not the only victims of accidental poisonings. The Journal of Pediatrics recently reported that between the years 2001-2008, more than 430,000 children five years or younger were brought to emergency rooms due to self-ingested medicines. And, in the larger picture, drug-related deaths now outnumber motor vehicle fatalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

What’s more, pharmaceuticals are turning up in the environment. “Medicine disposal has become an emerging issue as numerous studies have found pharmaceuticals in drinking water and in lakes and rivers,” said Laura Kammin, IISG pollution prevention specialist. “The long term impacts are not known, but it’s clear that flushing medicines or throwing them in the trash contributes to the problem.”

“We are excited about this collaborative effort involving the AVMA and NOAA‘s National Sea Grant College Program,” said Mike Liffmann, Extension leader for the National Sea Grant Office. “Our Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant colleagues will, on behalf of the National Sea Grant College Program, lead this joint outreach and education effort aimed at ensuring that leftover or unused medications for animals are disposed of properly so they cannot harm people, the animals or the environment.”

For the past six years, IISG has worked with communities to develop local medicine collection programs. Through workshops and the IISG toolkit, the program provides information and support so that these efforts are safe and successful.

Now, alongside the AVMA, the information campaign can grow to encompass new audiences, including animal owners who, along with many in the general public, may need to dispose of unused and expired medicine.

“By increasing the general public’s awareness of options available to them for the proper disposal of pharmaceuticals and the environmental consequences of improper disposal, it is hoped and anticipated that fewer and fewer medications will flushed or poured into our waters,” said Kristi Henderson, AVMA assistant director of scientific activities.

For more information about medicine collection programs, visit unwantedmeds.org. There, you can download the toolkit Disposal of Unwanted Medicines: A Resource for Action in Your Community.

From NBC Chicago:

From WTTW Chicago:

Scientists believe the Quagga mussel first stowed away in the ballast water on transoceanic ships from the Caspian Sea. The mussels made their way into the lakes when that ballast water was purged.

The tiny fingernail-sized mussels closely related to another invasive, known as the Zebra mussel, first appeared in lake waters here in 1988.
The Quagga mussel is now the most pervasive and destructive invasive species ever to enter the Great Lakes. Over the last 15 years, the Quagga population has exploded, eclipsing the Zebra mussel and infecting all five of the Great Lakes. Read more.