MSU Water Alliance

05/28/2026

Join Michigan State University Extension and Fisheries & Wildlife at Michigan State University for an immersive, two-day Aquatic Plant Identification course at Kellogg Biological Station.

Led by Erick Elgin, Jo Latimore, and Jeremy Hartsock, this workshop combines field visits in the Kalamazoo and Barry County areas with hands-on lab sessions.

Participants will learn:
• Aquatic plant morphology and terminology
• Michigan aquatic plant identification
• The ecological role of aquatic plants in Michigan waterbodies

🗓️ June 17 & 18, 2026 (8:30 AM - 5 PM)
📍W.K. Kellogg Biological Station
Cost: $250 (Sanctuary Members) | $300 (Non-Members)
Lodging: Overnight accommodations are available through the KBS Conference Center
👉 Registration Deadline: June 14, 2026

📸: Jo Latimore

05/26/2026

It’s officially beach season in Michigan! As you enjoy the shoreline, keep in mind that weather conditions and stormwater runoff can cause rapid, unexpected changes in beach water quality.

Check out these guidelines and bookmark the MiEnviro Portal: BeachGuard for live water quality updates this summer: https://www.michigan.gov/egle/maps-data/mienviroportal/beachguard

05/22/2026

Learn more about campus resources that are keeping our water safe:

• Institute of Water Research (IWR): Builds online mapping tools to track emerging threats and protect Michigan's waterways.
• Center for Lakes and Streams (Michigan State University Extension): Helps Michigan residents manage aquatic invasive species, harmful algal blooms, and healthy lakefronts.
• Engineers Without Borders: A student-led organization designing and building clean water infrastructure for global communities in need.

05/21/2026

05/20/2026

Angelique Willis, a PhD student in MSU Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences and the Environmental Science and Policy Program at MSU, joined the WaterCube NRT Fellowship Program in 2025.

Before coming to MSU, she examined chemical contaminants in well water throughout Georgia. Today, Angelique works with organizations in Detroit to address drinking water contamination linked to chemical facilities. Specifically, she studies how contaminants like chromium-6 in tap water may correlate with kidney disease.

Learn more about her work and other PhD students doing water research at MSU: https://lnkd.in/g9PfQbzd

05/19/2026

May is American Wetlands Month, and we're highlighting both the ecological and cultural connections these ecosystems provide to Michigan communities.

Historically, Michigan has experienced a loss of more than 50% of its natural wetlands. Faculty within the Fisheries & Wildlife at Michigan State University are actively studying these systems. Jeremy Hartsock explains how wetlands act as "the landscapes' kidneys", filtering nutrients and storing carbon. Angela K. Burrow and her lab are focused on the role small wetlands, known as vernal pools, play in supporting Michigan's mammal populations.

Beyond their ecological value, wetlands are a significant cultural resource, providing spiritual connection, particularly for our region's Indigenous communities.

Join us this month as we share insights from our faculty on the continued management and preservation of these vital landscapes.

05/13/2026

Michigan remains the only state without a statewide septic system code. We spoke with MSU Assistant Professor Anthony Kendall (Michigan State University Earth & Environmental Sciences) about septic system pollution for this month's Wednesday Water.

Dr. Kendall explains Michigan's current septic regulations, which areas are most vulnerable to septic system pollution, and one change that could improve how Michigan manages septic systems.

05/12/2026

MSU Professor Wei Liao (Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering - Michigan State University) and researchers Annaliese Marks, Chenghai Li (Harvard University), and Shengqiang Cai (University of California San Diego) have developed a promising new method for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture.

It involves using a macroporous hydrogel infused with a solution made from algae amino acids (microalgal amino acid salt solution or MAASS).

Learn more: https://water.msu.edu/feature/spartans-making-difference-high-efficiency-carbon-capture

Read the full research article: https://tinyurl.com/2mfnnbvv

05/12/2026

MSU researchers recently conducted field sampling along the Grand River, collecting microplastics and characterizing river conditions to support the design of a bubble barrier system in Lansing.

Their work is documenting the path of plastic pollution through the water to determine the best way to trap it before it flows further downstream.

Photo Credit Professor Phanikumar Mantha (Michigan State University College of Engineering)

05/08/2026

Registration is still open for the 2026 Conservation Drainage Network Annual Meeting in East Lansing.

This year’s meeting will discuss advancements in conservation drainage and improvements to water quality.

Topics include:
• Conservation drainage practices to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus losses
• State and watershed-scale water quality strategies, including the Western Lake Erie Basin
• Controlled drainage, saturated buffers, drainage water recycling, and bioreactors
• Edge-of-field monitoring and performance-based conservation evaluation
• Automation, sensors, modeling, and decision-support tools
• Phosphorus loss, harmful algal blooms, and Lake Erie forecasting
• Drainage design for agriculture, infrastructure, and emerging land uses such as solar farms
• Policy, funding, and implementation pathways
• Industry, agency, and research perspectives on practical adoption

Register by May 19:
https://pci.jotform.com/form/260635918707061

👉Can't make it in person? There's a virtual option to attend!

View the detailed agenda:
https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:48e0ae11-661a-43cf-9c14-aa5f90332055

05/06/2026