After 2 years, ratepayer pain and political fallout from Georgia’s nuclear plant Vogtle Texas built 36 GW of solar and storage in four years, for about $36 billion. Georgia built 2 GW of nuclear in 15 years at the same cost, writes Patty Durand, founder of Georgians for Affordable Energy...

Ontario just hit with 30% hydro rate jump. Now, look at Georgia: their $36B nuclear project just triggered a 25% increase, and voters responded by firing the regulators. Nuclear is not cheap or clean. Can Ontario Energy Board save us? www.utilitydive.com/news/after-2...

Perfect day. Lots of walks, a short swim to fight off a cold, work related to swimmable water and swimmable cities. And finally — a sunset on “One Less Lonely Lake”

Just a beautiful morning to wake up beside the river and be grateful. Happy Earth 🌍 Day everyone. @swimdrinkfish @LOWaterkeeper @Waterkeeper @biinaagami @CanGeo

This neighbourhood already breathes airport exhaust. Now, Doug Ford wants bigger jets | CBC Accessibility Neighbours of Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto are already worried about the air they breathe — and what toll exhaust is taking on their health. Studies have shown high levels of ultrafine particles, p...

Why are ultrafine particles from plane & car exhaust still unregulated in Canada? What do jets on an expanded runway in Toronto Harbour mean for Toronto’s air quality? Will there be a study funded to find out before making decision on jets? www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Fan’s Note: Since 2018 opening of Gord Edgar Downie Swimming Pier on Lake Ontario, Kingston became blueprint for a "swimmable city" on Great Lakes. Prioritizing sewage treatment, rigorous monitoring & open data, makes urban water restoration possible. #Kingston #GreatLakes

The Earth Day Pact: If you see something, say something. But don't just complain—document. This year, we’re trading silence for logbooks and legal tools. open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

The Great Lakes at a Crossroads: Why This Earth Day Matters More Than Ever By Mark Mattson

My brain can be a chaotic place, until I start writing. Using my Substack to discuss & critique recurring environmental issues that shape our politics helps me move ideas from my head onto the page. It is cathartic and engages others. Join me: open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

Therapy cow

The Great Lakes at a Crossroads: Why This Earth Day Matters More Than Ever By Mark Mattson

open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

Somewhere here, somewhere there. Barnyard vibes on Earth Day weekend

The Great Lakes at a Crossroads: Why This Earth Day Matters More Than Ever By Mark Mattson

What quietly shapes whether your local beach is safe to swim? The future of the Great Lakes is being negotiated now. Here’s what’s at stake and why your voice matters this Earth Day. open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

Senate votes 50-49 to overturn mining ban near Boundary Waters The vote clears the path for Twin Metals to reapply to open an underground copper mine near Ely, just outside the wilderness area. Conservation groups argue mining in the region poses an unacceptable ...

The Boundary Waters of Great Lakes aren't local assets—they are a shared trust between our nations. Treating the watershed like a liquidation sale for a foreign mining group risks our collective future. Boundary waters vote on mining passes U.S. Senate www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

Happy Birthday, Kevin Lowe: A Legend On and Off the Ice Some people change the world around them; others change the lives of the people they work with.

Happy birthday Kevin Lowe. Some people change the world around them; others change the lives of the people they work with. Kevin Lowe has done both open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

Podcasts are so much fun. Opportunity to talk anout water and advocacy for an hour is a privilege. substack.com/@waterkeeper...

The $2.6 Billion Water Flea: What Port Granby and Welcome Nuclear Waste Sites Teach Us About the High Cost of Pollution Follow-up to "The Power of Noticing”: The Black Pipe on the Beach

From a $1.2B estimate to a $2.6B reality—the bill for our past nuclear waste environmental "choices" is coming due. What a tiny water flea taught us about the high cost of pollution: open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

How America’s Wastewater Systems Became Conduits for “Forever Chemicals” Under current federal regulations, industries are free to dump unlimited amounts of PFAS into public sewage systems that can’t remove them.

Our water has a "forever" problem. PFAS in our wastewater systems are conduits for chemicals that don't break down. How do we get politicians to talk about headaches that no one wants to fund, but our health can’t afford to ignore? @swimdrinkfish www.earthisland.org/journal/inde...

The Power of Noticing: 30 Years on A Nuclear Shoreline Last week, a reporter called me.

The Power of Noticing! Thinking about Port Hope, Port Granby, Wesleyville, Toronto, Lake Ontario and all the people who live and depend on this Great Lake. open.substack.com/pub/waterkee... @swimguide @swimdrinkfish @Waterkeeper

No provincial environmental impact assessment required for Kevin O'Leary's proposed Wonder Valley data centre — CBC News Kevin O’Leary's proposed Wonder Valley project in northwestern Alberta will not need to undergo an environmental impact assessment from the province due to existing water and power systems. However, t...

No prov env assessment for Kevin O’Leary’s $70B Wonder Valley data centre? As David Wright notes, skipping the "big picture" makes it impossible to know the real costs. apple.news/ASi7apkOOQ1G... I’m breaking down the risks of this oversight on Substack: open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

A Year of Water, Wonder and Work. A Year of Water, Wonder, and Work: Reflections from the Water’s Edge

"Do the work. The magic will take care of itself." A powerful reflection from @waterkeepermark on 25 years of fighting for clean water, the legacy of Gord Downie, and the new world-class swimming pier coming to Burrard Inlet Vancouver BC open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

The Wall is Not Enough: Why the Great Lakes Asian Carp Problem is About Us Back in 2009, I was deep in the trenches of a story that felt like a slow-motion car crash.

The Great Lakes watershed is one of the most powerful forces on the planet—if only we centered our relationship around the water. What has the Asian carp threat taught us? substack.com/@waterkeeper... @swimdrinkfish @biinaagami

Lake Ontario: Speed Is No Substitute for Stewardship Over Toronto Harbour By Mark Mattson

open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

Should major projects like nuclear power expansion, jets in Toronto Harbour, high speed train lines between Quebec & Ontario or a gigantic data centre on Alberta River get exempted from public reviews? open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

MUST READ: Billy Bishop Airport has always been a political hot potato. Where did it start? Historian Jamie Bradburn guides readers through the history of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, where Premier Doug Ford is attempting to fast-track a plan for jet service

Really detailed and informative history of Toronto Island Airport. Always good to understand the issues at stake. www.torontotoday.ca/local/histor... @swimdrinkfish

Life can get chaotic. We have so many places to go, opportunities to choose from and people to meet. But growing roots often better than sprouting wings. Connection with place and people is a great thing. Feeling at home better than chasing a bucket list. Happy Easter.

Easter: Renewal, Stewardship, the Aquatarium and the St. Lawrence River For many, Easter is a sacred time of reflection.

Thanks so much to the Hudson’s and Burnbrae for all they have done for the river, Swim Drink Fish, the Aquatarium and water across Canada. open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

Big news today for Lake Ontario. The federal government decided the Wesleyville nuclear power project must undergo a formal assessment phase ensuring respect for our shared waters. Notice of early decision with reasons iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluati... @swimdrinkfish @lowaterkeeper

Hanging around the barnyard today and seeing old faces and new faces. Still waiting for birds to return with wild stories from beyond the 10th Line.

Happy to find new friends to greet along my running route. Like me, born in February but loves the water.

Have to admit — always been easily pranked. Try to prepare for April Fools’ Day but almost always forget until too late. Something about this year makes it worse. Everything meant to be a joke actually feels completely believable. #AprilFoolsDay

Biinaagami: Listening to Lake Ontario Before It’s Too Late for Toronto By Mark Mattson

For too long, we’ve treated Toronto’s waterfront as a series of one-off projects—a sewer here, a dump there, a new nuclear plant up the way, an infill project in the Harbour. But water doesn’t experience projects in isolation. It experiences accumulation. open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...