This morning, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced the American Water Stewardship Act (H.R. 6422), a legislative package that included a 5-year reauthorization of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition applauds this important step in the legislative process.

Materials from Fall Fly-in 2025

We had another successful Great Lakes Conference in 2025! Around 230 people joined us in Rochester, New York over the course of two days. We’re already planning the 2026 Great Lakes Conference and we hope you’ll join us next fall in Detroit, Michigan!

The first federal government shutdown since 2018 threatens ongoing work to restore the Great Lakes and safeguard clean drinking water for more than 30 million people across the region and broader country. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is urging federal policymakers to find a path forward that funds restoration efforts and critical clean water monitoring and protection activities.

A buoy network managed by the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) across the Great Lakes collects information on wave height, approximate wind speed and direction, and water temperature. Once collected, this data not only allows for safe tourism, recreation, and shipping but also warns researchers about impacts to water quality, including toxic algal blooms that pose serious health threats to humans, pets, and wildlife. However, despite the health, safety, and environmental benefits these buoys provide, $1.6 billion in budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration could bring funding for GLOS to a halt.

In a new report, titled Safe for Swimming?, researchers found that 71% of Great Lakes beaches tested positive for fecal indicator bacteria like E. coli and Enterococcus at least one day last year. The report, published in July, was produced by Environment America Research and Policy Center, the 501(c)(3) research arm of Environment America.

The Trump Administration released more details about how its proposed budget would undermine efforts by local, state, and Tribal governments to protect the drinking water, public health, and quality of life for more than 30 million people in the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Progress to restore the Great Lakes and protect the drinking water for more than 40 million people would be severely undermined by the Trump Administration’s proposed budget, calling for drastic cuts to core environmental and clean water programs.