The May edition of the Great Lakes Hill Happenings is now available. This edition includes:

• NEMWI's finer budget analysis, as it relates to Great Lakes programs;
• Summary of the Great Lakes Governors' Summit on Mackinac Island;
• Legislative updates on the Senate's consideration and passage of the Water Resources Development Act, Farm Bill, as well as House hearings; and
• Highlights of the International Joint Commission's briefing to Congressional staff on management of Upper Great Lakes water levels, including the Lake Superior management plan, recommendations to consider temporary structures to raise Lakes Michigan and Huron, and the proposed Water Levels Adaptive Management Plan.

For more information, contact Danielle Chesky, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute. 

Clarksville, MO's Mayor Jo Anne Smiley presented for NEMWI's MS River Cities & Towns Initiative (MRCTI) at the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association (UMBRA) Board Meeting on June 5 in St. Louis. A member of the MRCTI Executive Committee, Mayor Smiley's city is at the epicenter of the worst flooding along the Mississippi River so far this spring. Mayor Smiley outlined the challenges and opportunities of keeping cities connected to the River. Mayor Smiley also discussed MRCTI mayors' near term plans, including forming a Governor's Council for the Mississippi, creating a community foundation network along the River, and implementing a pilot nutrient trading program. The Mayors will be meeting in St. Cloud, MN for their 2nd annual meeting this June 26-28. UMRBA is an organization representing MN, WI, IA, IL, and MO. Mayor Slay of St. Louis first presented to their board on behalf of MRCTI in May 2012. Since then, MRCTI and UMRBA have worked together on shared priorities. 

 

For more information, contact Colin Wellenkamp, Director of the MS River Cities & Towns Initiative at the Northeast-Midwest Institute. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released results of its 2011 Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment. The results show that the nation's drinking water infrastructure needs $384 billion in improvements through 2030 for systems, up from $324 billion identified for their 20 year projection in the 2007 Needs Survey. EPA uses this survey to allocate the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). According to the 2011 Needs Survey, the NEMW region now accounts for 37% of the total drinking water infrastructure needs, down from 39% in the 2007 Needs Survey. As in the 2007 survey, NEMW states continue to account for 37% of total needs of small systems--those serving 3,300 people or fewer; the President's FY2014 Budget request would focus future DWSRF funding on these smaller systems. In FY 2010, NEMW states received 38% of DWSRF funding, so the new Needs Survey data does not suggest significant change in DWSRF funds relative to other states and regions.