UW-Milwaukee Center for Water Policy

June 5 is World Environment Day! World Environment Day, established by the United Nations in 1972, is a global day for environmental awareness and action. To celebrate World Environment Day, Center for Water Policy team members are sharing our favorite ways to spend time outside!

Comment how you’re spending time outside this summer!



UWM School of Freshwater Sciences

Shorelines and beaches are rapidly shifting and eroding as climate change causes ocean levels to rise and Great Lakes water levels to wildly fluctuate. But the most common responses to this erosion, specifically hard shoreline armoring and beach nourishment, raise serious concerns regarding access to public trust resources.

In the Center for Water Policy’s latest research, Water Policy Specialist Emma Ehrlich (2024-2025), Interim Assistant Director Cora Sutherland (2024-2025), and Director Melissa Scanlan investigate the legal protections for public access along the oceans and Great Lakes. This published academic research sheds light on the legal gaps in climate-disrupted shoreline management and highlights the need for Great Lakes states to learn from exemplar states to better protect public access to our beaches.

Quick Facts: What you need to know

🔹 Shoreline armoring can physically restrict public access and diminish our sandy beaches.

🔹 Government-funded beach nourishment often sparks debate over whether public funds are disproportionately benefiting private homeowners.

🔹 Legal gaps exist where courts’ interpretations of public access requirements reveal significant deficiencies and a lack of protective policies across different regions.

Read the research published by Denver Water Law: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6863659

Wisconsin isn’t the only Great Lakes state grappling with the complex issue of abandoned boats. The G Tug Hawaii has been submerged in Presque Isle Bay, Lake Erie, since December 2025. On May 8, a crane attempted to remove the boat from the bay but failed and dropped the tug back into the water.

Read the full article from GoErie.com | Erie Times-News here: https://www.goerie.com/story/news/local/2026/05/08/tugboat-falls-back-into-lake-erie/89992685007/

And check out the Center’s policy brief on abandoned boats here: https://uwm.edu/centerforwaterpolicy/policy-brief-abandoned-boats-in-state-waters-achieving-a-clear-and-efficient-response-in-wisconsin/

Tugboat falls back into Lake Erie during retrieval attempt On May 8, the G Tug Hawaii was scheduled to be pulled out of Lake Erie. A sudden mishap caused the boat to sink back to the bottom of the bay.

A recent report from the state of Michigan shows that its phosphorus input into Lake Erie has decreased. The report highlights community environmental programs, improvements to wastewater treatment plants, and new sensing technology as crucial parts of Michigan’s phosphorus reduction plan. However, reducing phosphorus loading in Lake Erie is a collaborative issue, and Michigan’s phosphorus reductions can be offset by high phosphorus inputs from Ohio or Ontario. The U.S. and Canada aim to reduce total phosphorus inputs into western Lake Erie by 40%.

Read the full article from MLive.com here. https://www.mlive.com/environment/2026/05/michigans-lake-erie-report-shows-progress-but-not-a-turning-point.html

And check out the Center’s phosphorus research here: https://uwm.edu/centerforwaterpolicy/uc-davis-law-schools-environs-environmental-law-and-policy-journal-published-solving-the-phosphorus-paradox-five-states-approaches-to-restoring-nutrient-impaired-surface-w/

Michigan’s Lake Erie report shows progress, but not a turning point The state cites phosphorus reductions and expanded monitoring as scientists warn bloom severity still hinges on spring runoff.

Milwaukee is facing a federal deadline to replace all lead pipes by 2037 — an uphill task. Since 2017, Milwaukee has taken advantage of funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to subsidize the cost of replacing more than 10,000 lead pipes with copper, but more than 65,000 lead pipes remain. Reaching that goal may be more challenging due to federal funding constraints.

Read the full article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel here: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/special-reports/2026/05/06/milwaukee-has-65000-lead-pipes-to-replace-before-federal-deadline/89598602007/

And check out the Center’s research on lead and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law here: https://uwm.edu/centerforwaterpolicy/university-of-michigans-journal-of-environmental-and-administrative-law-published-got-lead-in-your-water-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-may-be-poised-to-help/

Milwaukee has to replace its lead pipes by 2037. But 65,000 remain Milwaukee is facing a federal deadline for replacing lead service lines that carry water from mains to homes. The city might not meet it.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") has started a rulemaking process to rescind certain PFAS drinking water standards. PFAS are a large class of “forever chemicals” that pose a suite of environmental and public health risks.

Current standards, established in 2024, set maximum contaminant levels for certain types of PFAS in drinking water. EPA is proposing to rescind those standards for four PFAS compounds. Before changing the PFAS standards, EPA must hold a public comment period, which is open until July 20, 2026.

Learn more about the proposed change and participate in the public comment period: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/20/2026-10085/rescission-of-regulatory-determinations-and-removal-of-related-provisions-for-four-pfas-substances

https://www.regulations.gov/docket/EPA-HQ-OW-2025-0654

And check out the Center’s website for more information: https://uwm.edu/centerforwaterpolicy/pfas-contamination-in-wisconsins-public-drinking-water-supplies-regulatory-context-2/

Rescission of Regulatory Determinations and Removal of Related Provisions for Four PFAS Substances (PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (GenX), and the Mixture of These Three PFAS Plus PFBS) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to rescind its regulatory determinations to regulate four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)--perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid and its ammonium salt (HFPO-DA,...

The Center for Water Policy’s 2024-26 Water Policy and Science Communications Fellow Cami Armendariz won “Best Short Video” in the 2026 Planet Forward Storyfest for her video “Bringing Back the Giants: Sturgeon Restoration in the Milwaukee River Watershed.”

Congratulations Cami! Watch this award-winning short film on her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=rXeco5En27TrS1cy&v=LhHfIJ2qAck&feature=youtu.be



Milwaukee Riverkeeper, UWM School of Freshwater Sciences, Riveredge Nature Center, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Bringing Back the Giants: Sturgeon Restoration in the Milwaukee River Watershed Once abundant throughout the Great Lakes, lake sturgeon in the Milw...

The water demands of AI-data centers continue generating questions and concerns, not just in the U.S. but internationally. Center for Water Policy Assistant Director Tressie Kamp was quoted in the French publication Franceinfo about looking toward the future resource demands of our AI use and the associated resource demands of AI-data centers.

“If we are to believe [data that we’re seeing], the use of AI will continue to grow almost infinitely,” Kamp said. “So the right question to ask is rather: What lies ahead for us in terms of water consumption if we continue at this pace?”

Read more from franceinfo: https://www.franceinfo.fr/internet/intelligence-artificielle/il-y-a-un-probleme-de-transparence-que-sait-on-de-la-consommation-en-eau-des-data-centers-qui-abreuvent-internet-et-l-ia_7809896.html

The Center for Water Policy is thinking about the future too. Check out our latest resource on AI-data centers — AI-Data Centers: Legislative Model to Promote Transparency and Environmental Protections: https://uwm.edu/centerforwaterpolicy/center-for-water-policy-releases-ai-data-centers-legislative-model-to-promote-transparency-and-environmental-protections/

"Il y a un problème de transparence" : que sait-on de la consommation en eau des data centers qui abreuvent internet et l'IA ? Chaque requête formulée à l'intelligence artificielle masque une consommation d'eau invisible liée à la production d'électricité nécessaire aux data centers pour fonctionner. Mais l'opacité des entreprises du secteur rend la mesure globale très complexe.

We are thrilled to announce the generous gift of $4 million from Lynde B. Uihlein to the Center’s Endowment, part of her historic $10 million gift to the School of Freshwater Sciences.

This incredible contribution to our endowment ensures our water policy research mission will continued to offer solutions to the world’s most pressing freshwater issues for years generations to come.

Read more about the historic gift in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/education/2026/05/14/lynde-uihlein-gives-10-million-to-uwm-school-of-freshwater-sciences/90066137007/

A $10M gift from philanthropist and environmentalist Lynde B. Uihlein will support freshwater sciences research and education at UWM 👏 One of the largest gifts in UWM history, the endowment will strengthen the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences and UW-Milwaukee Center for Water Policy and help fund research vessels, including the Neeskay and the future Maggi Sue! Read more at the link in the comments ⬇

Turning waste into water.

Earlier this week, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) staff gave the Center a tour of the Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility — a facility that cleans billions of gallons of wastewater every year from 29 communities in southeastern Wisconsin.

Thanks for the tour Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District - MMSD!