The Environment Report

Record rainfall devastated large parts of Houghton County earlier this month. Flash flooding killed a 12-year-old boy when the basement of his house collapsed. It damaged hundreds of homes and caused at least $100 million in damage to infrastructure. That kind of rainfall only had a one in 1,000 chance of happening in any given year. But scientists say climate change could make these events more likely . Caught completely off guard Cynthia Drake’s home was almost destroyed by the floodwaters.

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed tighter standards for lead in dust on floors and window sills. Lead dust can be a big source of lead exposure for kids when chips of old paint flake off, or when older homes are renovated. The proposed standards would affect most homes built before 1978 and places where kids spend a lot of time, like day care centers.

If you’ve ever tried to keep a raccoon out of your trash can, you know they’re smart. At my house, it takes a brick on top of the trash can and a bungee cord on top of the lid to keep the raccoons out. New research looks at how animals with complex cognitive abilities might do better in cities, but could end up in more conflicts with people.

The Environmental Protection Agency is starting to plan what’s next for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. We’re eight years into that huge cleanup and restoration effort.

A Canadian company will turn in a report tomorrow outlining whether it thinks a tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac is a feasible option for its pipeline. A tunnel was suggested by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder. Enbridge owns and operates a pair of 65 year old oil and gas pipelines known as Line 5. It lies on the bottom of the Straits between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. According to the Detroit News , Enbridge is expected to say a tunnel 300 feet underground is feasible.

Until recently, if a home solar array produced more electricity than the house used, it would go through the meter onto the grid. Residents with solar power arrays got paid for that power at the same rate as the power company charged other residents. Power that comes in/power that goes out: same price. This even exchange is called net metering.

Eleven years ago on a cold January day, volunteers for the Huron River Watershed Council , Rochelle Breitenbach and Mary Bajcz trudged through the snow and thicket to get to a pristine little stream that flows into the Huron River.

The Environmental Protection Agency and at least one retailer have done an about face on a chemical linked to dozens of deaths, but health advocates want more. Methylene chloride is an ingredient in paint strippers. It’s sold at hardware stores and it’s also used commercially. Serious acute risks Beth Kemler is with the group Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families. "I don't think that there is a way that you could possibly warn the public enough. I think it just needs to be off the shelves," she says

The amount of tree cover in our cities is dropping, and we have more paved surfaces. Those are the main findings from a national study by the U.S. Forest Service.

Three commuities in Michigan are taking a much closer look for lead in their drinking water this year. Houghton, home of Michigan Tech up in the U.P., and the Detroit suburbs of Beverly Hills and Romulus. All three cities did routine testing for lead in water last year. And their lead levels were higher than the federal “action level” of 15 parts per billion. Houghton was barely over the limit and is tweaking how it treats the water. Beverly Hills had the highest level -- but that’s only because