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UWM Center for Water Policy
@uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
240 followers 490 following 140 posts
We connect science and economics to inform policy that protect, restore, & conserve vital freshwater resources.
https://uwm.edu/centerforwaterpolicy/
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uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
🚨 NEW Policy Brief: PFAS & Wisconsin's Drinking Water

EPA set standards for 6 PFAS compounds in 2024, then signaled intent to rescind 4 in 2025. Our updated brief breaks down the legal context, timelines & what's next.
🔗 Read it: uwm.edu/centerforwat...
November 14, 2025 at 6:02 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
🎧 Science Vs just released an episode on AI’s environmental impacts. Host Rose Rimler spoke with Center for Water Policy Director Melissa Scanlan for background on data center research. The episode digs into AI’s energy + water use—and asks: Should you quit using AI?

Listen now!
November 13, 2025 at 8:33 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
This week, CWP staff got a tour of the Neeskay, the School of Freshwater Sciences’ research vessel! The Neeskay is one of the only research vessels that goes out on the #GreatLakes year-round. SFS uses the vessel to study invasive species, climate, microbiology and more.
November 13, 2025 at 4:55 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
🍀 Last weekend, Dan Egan, CWP journalist in residence, traveled to Canandaigua, NY to speak about threats facing fresh water. Egan's talk emphasized the need for action from both individual landowners and the federal government to control toxic algae.

www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2...
Author Dan Egan calls for action to protect Great Lakes
“We know what to do. We’re just not doing it.”
www.democratandchronicle.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:18 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
🌱 A proposed WI law would help communities replace PFAS firefighting foam with soybean-based alternatives. PFAS can contaminate waterways & harm firefighters. Could soybeans be part of the solution?

🔗 www.jsonline.com/story/news/p...

#PFAS #Wisconsin
Could soybeans take PFAS out of fighting fires? Wisconsin bill promotes a new foam
A new bill could help fire departments purchase firefighting foam made from soybeans instead of PFAS.
www.jsonline.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:02 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
Center director Melissa Scanlan was quoted in Down To Earth on India’s growing data centre industry.

“Air-based cooling systems don’t use water directly but still have an indirect water footprint through the electricity required to power them.”

Read: www.downtoearth.org.in/science-tech...
India’s digital thirst: What data centre giants aren’t saying about their water use
India's burgeoning data centre industry, a cornerstone of its digital ambitions, faces scrutiny over its water usage transparency. Despite claims of 'water-neutral' facilities, companies like AdaniCon...
www.downtoearth.org.in
November 11, 2025 at 6:22 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy sued the city of Hermantown for lack of transparency in their review of a proposed #DataCenter project. The group has challenged the transparency of data center reviews across the state.

🔗 Read the article: www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
Lawsuit alleges Hermantown kept public in dark over data center proposal
The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and a grassroots group called "Stop the Hermantown Data Center" filed the lawsuit. It alleges the city's review didn't describe the proposal as a data c...
www.mprnews.org
November 10, 2025 at 2:20 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
The Army Corps of Engineers has issued a federal permit for Enbridge’s 41-mile Line 5 reroute in northern Wisconsin — before state approval. The pipeline would cross 200 waterways, 101 acres of wetland, and drill under the White River.

🔗 Read via Wisconsin Public Radio: www.wpr.org/news/army-co...
Army Corps of Engineers grants federal permit for Enbridge's Line 5 reroute
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a federal permit Wednesday to a Canadian energy firm that wants to reroute its oil and gas pipeline around a northern Wisconsin tribe’s reservation.
www.wpr.org
November 7, 2025 at 9:05 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
#PFAS can be found in #biosolids, an alternative to fertilizers that recycles nutrients from wastewater treatment plants. Today, towns in #Wisconsin—especially towns near paper mills—are facing PFAS contamination from biosolids.

🔗 Read the article: www.wpr.org/news/sludge-...
Sludge is used as fertilizer across Wisconsin. How much is tainted by PFAS?
Sludge and septage are spread across around half a million acres in Wisconsin, but most of it has never been tested for PFAS.
www.wpr.org
November 5, 2025 at 2:16 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
💧As AI drives a data center boom, communities face rising challenges around water, energy & transparency.

Our Director, Prof. Melissa Scanlan, spoke with Straight Arrow News about the industry’s water footprint & the need for public accountability.

🔗 san.com/cc/a-data-center
san.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:53 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
🔨 Microsoft, Oracle, and OpenAI are investing billions of dollars to build #DataCenters in southeastern #Wisconsin. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel breaks down the similarities and differences of the Mount Pleasant and Port Washington data centers here:

www.jsonline.com/story/money/...
Here are the similarities, differences between data centers from Microsoft, Oracle/OpenAI
Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle are looking to Wisconsin to achieve their goals for artificial intelligence. Here's some similarities and differences.
www.jsonline.com
November 3, 2025 at 2:25 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
🔎A new poll from Marquette University shows bipartisan opposition to data centers; 55% of Wisconsinites think the costs outweigh the benefits.

📄Learn more about the results of the Marquette Law School Poll here: madison.com/news/state-r...

#AI #DataCenters #WaterPolicy
Marquette poll shows Wisconsinites question the benefits of data centers on bipartisan basis
Data centers developments have become a hot topic around the state as technology companies look for ways to increase their capacities, especially as the use of artificial intelligence grows.
madison.com
October 31, 2025 at 7:54 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
📢Last week, #Oracle and #OpenAI announced that they would be operating the “Lighthouse” #datacenter in Port Washington. The companies plan to invest $15 billion in the center as part of the $500 billion #Stargate program.

🔗 Read the article: www.jsonline.com/story/commun...

#WaterPolicy
Port Washington data center to house OpenAI and Oracle as part of $500B Stargate program
The new campus is part of OpenAI and Oracle’s previously announced partnership to invest up to 4.5 gigawatts of additional Stargate capacity.
www.jsonline.com
October 29, 2025 at 1:50 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
Read a new @wisconsinexaminer.com article examining mounting local debates surrounding data centers.
Center for Water Policy's Melissa Scanlan emphasizes a need for comprehensive, statewide oversight to ensure that Wisconsin’s resources are managed sustainably
wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/10/27/w...
Wisconsin residents look for more input from state on mushrooming data centers • Wisconsin Examiner
As data centers continue to grow across Wisconsin, residents say there should be stronger input from state government on managing the growth.
wisconsinexaminer.com
October 27, 2025 at 8:19 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
🌊 #GreatLakes water levels are 15 inches below “normal” — the lowest they have been in a decade. Low water has impacted recreational boating, but has not had adverse effects on the environment, infrastructure, or shipping.

🔗 Read the article: lfpress.com/news/local-n...
Great Lakes water levels are the lowest in a decade – but is it a crisis?
This year’s conditions are a combination of natural and climatic factors, including dry weather and a low-water cycle.
lfpress.com
October 27, 2025 at 1:32 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
🌱A new study published in the ACS Environmental Science & Technology found that yellow flag iris, a wetland plant, can remove #PFAS from water. These plants could be used in constructed #wetlands to treat PFAS contaminated #wastewater.

📄Read the article: www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/wetl...
Wetland Plant-Fungus Combo Cleans Up “Forever Chemicals”
Discover how yellow flag irises and the fungi that grows on their roots could help to remove PFAS from wetlands and in wastewater treatment.
www.technologynetworks.com
October 24, 2025 at 2:16 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
🪏 A nonprofit group from Ashland, #WI rerouted a portion of Fish Creek to fight sediment in #LakeSuperior. Much of that #erosion is the effect of clear-cutting forests over a century ago.

🔗 Read the full article here: www.northernnewsnow.com/2025/10/14/n...
Nonprofit reroutes creek to reduce Lake Superior sediment
The Burke Center for Ecosystem Research lead efforts to relocate the waterway approximately 50 yards from its original path to avoid a bluff that had been eroding into the water.
www.northernnewsnow.com
October 22, 2025 at 1:35 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
📢 Environmental advocates are raising concerns over the use of #PFAS in piping, cables, and electronics in data centers. #DataCenters are not required to disclose the type or volume of chemicals they use.

🔗 Read the article here: www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Advocates raise alarm over Pfas pollution from datacenters amid AI boom
Tech companies’ use of Pfas gas at facilities may mean datacenters’ climate impact is worse than previously thought
www.theguardian.com
October 21, 2025 at 2:54 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
We’re excited to welcome Sydney Peterson, Undergraduate Communications Intern for Fall 2025, to the Center for Water Policy team! Sydney will be helping share stories about our research and events —highlighting how water policy connects science, communities, and the Great Lakes.
October 20, 2025 at 7:32 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
🏄 In “Troubled Water,” a new documentary from PBS, two Michigan men paddle from the Straits of Mackinac to Lansing to call attention to the potential risks of Enbridge’s #Line5 pipeline. The film's creator calls it “a love letter to the #GreatLakes.”

🎥Watch here: www.pbs.org/video/troubl...
Troubled Water
Two friends embark on a journey to shut down the most threatening oil pipeline in the US.
www.pbs.org
October 20, 2025 at 2:06 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
👟 As winter shortens around Lake Michigan, people spend more time in parks + soils thaw earlier, creating a perfect environment for erosion. Park managers are encouraging visitors to stay on the trail.

🔗Read the article here:

www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l...
Lake Michigan parks face trail erosion issues due to more rain, foot traffic
Park trails along Lake Michigan’s shoreline in Michigan and Wisconsin are eroding due to more frequent extreme rain events and increased foot traffic.
www.detroitnews.com
October 17, 2025 at 6:43 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
🎥Watch our new short video & discover how UWM’s School of Freshwater Sciences is transforming #Milwaukee’s Inner Harbor from a legacy of industrial use to a model of innovation, sustainability, and connection to the #GreatLakes.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsBR...
The School of Freshwater Sciences in Milwaukee's Inner Harbor
YouTube video by UW-Milwaukee Center for Water Policy
www.youtube.com
October 16, 2025 at 5:02 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
Center for Water Policy Director Melissa Scanlan was featured in a recent @npr.org article examining the rapid expansion of #datacenters across the United States and the accompanying environmental challenges.

Read it here!
www.npr.org/2025/10/14/n...
Data centers are booming. But there are big energy and environmental risks
How tech companies and government officials handle local impacts will shape the industry's future in the U.S.
www.npr.org
October 15, 2025 at 5:08 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
🤖You may have heard that using AI has a large water footprint. But how can that footprint be so big? An article in “The Conversation” breaks down how data centers use water- directly and indirectly- to power LLMs and how usage varies across centers. theconversation.com/ai-has-a-hid...

#AI #Water
AI has a hidden water cost − here’s how to calculate yours
AI systems’ water usage can vary widely, depending on where and when the computer answering the query is running.
theconversation.com
October 14, 2025 at 2:08 PM
uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social
State decision-makers are struggling to agree on how to address #PFAS contamination. Current bills aim to prevent the spread of PFAS in biosolids, but regulators say exemptions would prevent the DNR from holding polluters accountable.

🔗Read the article: www.wpr.org/news/wiscons...
Wisconsin lawmakers, regulators clash over PFAS protections in GOP bills
Republican lawmakers say their bills to address PFAS would offer financial aid and protect innocent landowners from footing the bill for contamination they didn’t cause. But state regulators argue the...
www.wpr.org
October 13, 2025 at 1:54 PM