Lake trout long dominated the Great Lakes as a predator fish and are common in other large North American lakes. Their numbers in the Great Lakes plummeted in the last century with the invasion of sea lamprey, an eel-like parasite.

Shoreline cities and towns in the Great Lakes region will be spending heavily in coming years to fix public infrastructure damaged by recent flooding and erosion.

As of July 2, there were 32 drownings in the Great Lakes, compared to 25 as of July 4, 2020, according to data collected by the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.

Over the next two decades, Indiana will need more than $13 billion to repair or replace aging water and wastewater infrastructure, according to the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.

Erosion along Lake Michigan is pitting neighbor against neighbor in Indiana. While some want to build barriers to protect their property along the lake, others want to block those efforts.

As sea levels rise, the nation's Atlantic and Pacific coastlines are eroding putting homes and businesses in jeopardy. But climate change also is increasing erosion on what's called the nation's "third coast" the Great Lakes shoreline.

The number of industrial facilities reporting water pollution violations in the Midwest has spiked since 2017. A new report shows it could be due to a decline in enforcement at the Environmental Protection Agency.

Additional funds provided by Congress for Great Lakes environmental improvements will be used to hasten cleanups of highly toxic sites and step up work on other longstanding forms of pollution, federal officials said Thursday.

The species are already listed as an endangered in multiple states including Indiana. A federal designation would mean more protections, including funding.

The House approved the measure Tuesday and sent it to the Senate, where a vote is expected later this week. It includes $320 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.