U.S. EPA Great Lakes Region

08/20/2026

Today, EPA announced a finalized a cleanup plan to address lead-contaminated soil at 160 residences in Indiana, where sampling found concentrations of lead higher than 200 parts per million. EPA’s site investigations are ongoing, and we will issue a separate cleanup plan for additional properties at a later date.

EPA works closely with state and local leaders to reduce children’s exposure to lead and to accelerate cleanups nationwide at Superfund sites like Federated Metals, delivering maximum human health and environmental protections.

Learn more about our site work: https://spgv.io/61848sqA

Indiana Department of Environmental Management | Go Hammond | City of Whiting, Indiana

08/19/2026

, last week we announced an investment of $37.6 million dollars to clean up contaminated sediment and to restore habitat at the Maumee River Area of Concern, near Toledo, Ohio.

Watch: Regional Administrator and fellow Buckeye Anne Vogel was onsite to announce this investment with our state and local partners! Ohio EPA | Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority | City of Toledo | Maumee AOC ! National Museum of the Great Lakes | US Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District

Learn more: https://spgv.io/61818skh

08/14/2026

08/12/2026

Today, EPA announced three major projects with key state and local partners to make serious progress on the restoration of Ohio’s Maumee River. : Comprising 787 square miles, it is one of the largest Areas of Concern in the United States! EPA’s tools like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative enable us to accelerate cleanups of legacy pollution in , and across the basin. Learn more about this complex project: https://spgv.io/61898qQ9

Ohio EPA | Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority | City of Toledo | Maumee AOC | National Museum of the Great Lakes | US Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District

08/12/2026

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Western Lake Erie Basin Partnership!

Chaired by EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office along with US Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the partnership centers on reducing nutrient runoff and the severity of harmful algal blooms in western Lake Erie—a 7-million-acre watershed spanning Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. Working closely with many state agencies and local organizations, the partnership has realized some meaningful wins for Lake Erie. Track Lake Erie nutrient data here: https://spgv.io/61858qQT
📸 Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research

08/07/2026

Last week, we announced a major investment in Tribal recycling and composting capacity in the Midwest through our Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Program—nearly $2.4 million to Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community for sustainable waste management on Tribal land. Together, this investment will divert thousands of pounds of waste from landfills, protecting human health and the environment now and for generations to come. Learn more about this program: https://spgv.io/61878UQt

08/04/2026

⭐ EPA Employee Spotlight ⭐

Meet Chiquita Brown, a Management and Programs Assistant in U.S. EPA Great Lakes Region's Mission Support Division.

Chiquita has been a dedicated EPA employee since 1997, beginning her career in the Drinking Water Branch. She later expanded her expertise to the Mission Support Division and into her current role, where she works to organize priorities, solve problems, and make sure programs and operations run efficiently.

Chiquita is known for her commitment to service and enjoys working with different teams, managing details and staying organized, and helping improve processes and systems.

She’s proud of the growth she’s experienced over the course of her career and the positive impact she’s been able to make.

Most colleagues don’t know that Chiquita enjoys exploring new places and taking in different scenery around the city and surrounding areas.

Thank you for making a difference at EPA and beyond!

08/03/2026

There’s no better way to start than with the launch of the Research Vessel ’s annual Summer Water Quality Survey! Over the next month, EPA scientists will collect water, sediment, and aquatic life samples from all five Great Lakes.

07/30/2026

We’re highlighting some of our favorite moments from the Research Vessel ’s survey season so far! We sampled all five Great Lakes, made stops in Detroit, Rochester, Duluth, and Sault Ste. Marie, answered live questions from students online, and our field season is only just getting started! Right now, the Lake Guardian is monitoring the health of Lake Michigan’s food web. And stay tuned: soon we will begin our annual summer survey!

Thanks to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, we’re able to gather the critical data we need on these surveys to protect and restore the world’s largest surface freshwater ecosystem.

07/29/2026

The former Woodhill Plating Works facility in City of Cleveland - City Hall is one of many similar electroplating shops in the Great Lakes states. This industry was instrumental in automobile, plane and appliance manufacturing by adding metal coatings to critical parts to help resist rust, reduce wear or improve conductivity. However, these processes often produced hazardous waste, including chromium, lead, arsenic, acids and cyanide salts. And in many cases, like at Woodhill Plating, these wastes were not safely disposed of before the shops closed down. This summer, we’re onsite to remove these hazardous wastes from this facility to protect the surrounding residential neighborhoods from unsafe exposure. Learn more: response.epa.gov/WoodhillPlating