Annual State of the Great Lakes report delves into successes and challenges in the waters around us

Thirty-two hundred miles of Michigan shoreline, 94,000 thousand square miles of surface area, 35 million watershed residents, six quadrillion gallons of water: The size and scope of the Great Lakes can stretch the imagination.

It's not easy to get a handle on how the lakes affect us – and vice versa – but you can start by exploring the newly released 2025 Michigan State of the Great Lakes Report. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) published the magazine-style report in late December with a collection of articles by leaders and experts in projects, accomplishments, and issues related to Michigan’s signature waters.

The 2025 report focuses on how individual Michiganders and communities, organizations, universities, tribes, and governments unite around the ecology, economy, health, and sustainability of our entire freshwater system. Topics include plastics and pollution, dam safety, groundwater withdrawals, a new urban waterfront park, a strategy for the future of Michigan’s maritime sector, and the delisting of the former Muskegon Lake Area of Concern – one of the year’s landmark achievements. Michigan flora and fauna highlighted in the report include piping plovers, lake whitefish, manoomin (wild rice), cyanobacteria, and sea lampreys.

“Michiganders share a remarkable privilege – and responsibility – to protect and sustain our water resources great and small. Our lakes, rivers, and groundwater drive our economy and shape our way of life,” EGLE Director Phil Roos said in a press release announcing the report. “The 2025 State of the Great Lakes Report underscores the progress we’ve made, the challenges that remain, and the power of collective action. I believe it will inspire continued commitment and innovation.”

A milestone anniversary

The new report coincides with the 40th anniversary of the founding of EGLE's Office of the Great Lakes (OGL), which produces the report annually under state statute and presents it to the state Legislature and the public on Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s behalf.

Messages from the Governor and EGLE director lead off the report, which includes the following articles:

• OGL staying strong and stretching at 40: Great Lakes Senior Advisor and Strategist Emily Finnell, who leads the OGL, reflects on how topics addressed in current and past annual reports relate to OGL leadership in policy development and strategic implementation of programs to protect, restore, and sustain the Great Lakes and grow the next generation of water stewards at home and abroad. In July, OGL extended its reach with Finnell presenting at the 20th World Lake Conference in Brisbane, Australia.
• Restoring the heart of the Muskegon community: Once heavily polluted by industrial waste, Muskegon Lake became Michigan’s fourth designated Area of Concern to be delisted (from an original list of 14) resulting from decades of cleanup, habitat restoration, and community collaboration. Work continues to ensure the lake remains a thriving ecological and recreational asset for future generations.
• Making space for recreation down by the Detroit Riverside: The city’s new Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park is a community-driven waterfront revitalization supported by a $100 million Wilson Foundation investment. The park combines recreation, habitat restoration, and flood resilience while connecting neighborhoods to regional trails, exemplifying sustainable urban design, public engagement, and equitable access.
• Digging into details of groundwater management: Michigan has modernized the way it manages large-quantity water withdrawals from the vast – but not unlimited – reserves under our feet in the Great Lakes Basin with a new software tool that supports science-based water use decisions under the Great Lakes Compact.
• Starving harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie: Nutrient runoff from agriculture and other sources feeds harmful algal blooms in western Lake Erie. Michigan has lowered phosphorus loads by one-fifth since 2008 but faces critical challenges to meet a 40% reduction goal. A new Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Office of Agricultural Science and Research and chief science officer will help address these challenges.
• Powering up Michigan’s sustainable blue economy: Planners from far and wide representing multiple sectors have come together to chart a course for strengthening the state’s $15 billion-a-year maritime economy, guiding coordinated investments that boost trade, tourism, and sustainability. The strategy is expected to be announced in early 2026.
• Respecting a relationship with manoomin: The Michigan Wild Rice Initiative collaboration among state agencies and federally recognized Anishinaabe nations that share geography with Michigan have produced a stewardship guide honoring the ecological importance of manoomin, or wild rice, rooted in cultural teachings.
• Skimming a river surface for plastic waste: A study is underway as several partners consider the possibility of installing innovative bubble curtain technology on the Grand River in Lansing to capture plastic waste before it can flow to the lakes.
• Meeting the macro-challenge of microplastics: Tiny fragments from degraded plastics and products abound in and near Michigan waters. EGLE has launched a $2 million, multi-division research and planning effort to close knowledge gaps about microplastic sources, distribution, and health effects.
• Solving the puzzles of PFAS: Several state agencies banded together in 2017 to form the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team. Its mission is to identify and remediate hazardous “forever chemicals” from firefighting foams, industry, and waste. In 2025, MPART expanded site investigations, issued new fish and game advisories, and prepared grants for airports to test and replace contaminated systems.
• Going the distance for piping plovers: Sleeping Bear Dunes is home to the largest breeding population of the small, endangered migratory shorebird. Biologists, volunteers, and zoos protect nests, raise abandoned chicks, and track birds to aid their comeback. The population rebounded to 88 pairs in 2025, more than halfway to the recovery goal of 150 pairs throughout the Great Lakes.
• Guiding lake whitefish through troubled waters: Tiny quagga mussels are taking a heavy toll on lake whitefish by stripping algae from the food web, starving zooplankton that juvenile fish depend on. Ongoing research, monitoring, and ecosystem-based management are critical to sustain both whitefish and the Great Lakes’ delicate ecological balance.
• Stifling a sea lamprey comeback: The invasive fish devastated native lake trout and threatens the Great Lakes fishery. Highly effective control programs rely on constant vigilance, as shown when a pandemic pause caused major economic losses.
• Holding back dam disasters: With many dams built a century ago, Michigan faces mounting safety, cost, and community challenges. Recent reforms expanded EGLE’s inspection staff and launched a grant program that is now expired. Proactive maintenance, removal of obsolete dams, and resilience planning are crucial to prevent future disasters.

Contributing authors and co-authors represent EGLE, MDARD, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the National Park Service, Michigan State University, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.

Read the full report and reports from recent years on the State of the Great Lakes Report webpage.

About EGLE’s Office of the Great Lakes

The Office of the Great Lakes develops policy and implements strategic programs to protect, restore, and sustain the Great Lakes watershed. The office collaborates with partner organizations to support sustainable water use and development of Great Lakes maritime resources; support vibrant and resilient communities; foster water stewardship; and advance science, research, and policy to solve the next generation of water challenges. Its mission is to ensure a healthy environment, strong water-focused blue economy, and high quality of life for Michiganders.