Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline has been fueling debate for decades. 

It carries millions of gallons of crude oil and natural gas liquids each day from Superior, Wisconsin to Sarnia, Ontario. A critical segment of this pipeline lies exposed on the lakebed of the Straits of Mackinac. 

It’s a location University of Michigan scientists call the “worst possible place” for an oil spill. That’s because of strong currents that could rapidly spread contaminants across the Great Lakes. 

Now, Enbridge wants to build a $500 million dollar tunnel deep under the lakebed to shield the pipeline, prevent an oil spill, and repair aging infrastructure. A new environmental report from the Army Corps of Engineers says it will likely accomplish these things. 

But that would come at a cost. Habitats could be destroyed, wildlife disrupted, and tribal rights threatened.

Meanwhile, legal fights continue. Michigan’s governor and Indigenous communities want Line 5 shut down, citing environmental and treaty violations. 

Enbridge insists federal law protects the pipeline.

The Army Corps of Engineers is asking people to weigh in on its new report about the tunnel project through the end of the month. 

So, it’s a good time to ask: is this tunnel a safe solution or a continuation of something that violates indigenous rights and threatens the environment? 

Andrew Buchsbaum, an expert on environmental law at the University of Michigan, has been part of the movement to stop Line 5. He joined The Metro  to discuss the new report.

The Metro invited an Enbridge spokesperson to discuss Line 5 and its proposed oil tunnel, but didn’t hear back before the show’s air date.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

More stories from The Metro

The Great Lakes still gleam and sparkle — but their waters are heavy with the weight of what we’ve done. Algal blooms cloud once-clear bays. Shorelines erode under rising waves. 

The lakes are the eternal vessels of what we’ve left behind: aging pipes, invasive species, and poisoned fish. And it’s all amid a warming climate.

Feeding this system is the Detroit River — one of its vital arteries. It’s moved ore and industry, waste and wildlife. A crossing. A corridor. A dumping ground.

Now, a billion-dollar cleanup is on the table. But this isn’t just about sediment and sludge. It’s about legacy and injustice — and whether we can learn to care for what we once used thoughtlessly.

Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, has spent years asking that question. She joined The Metro on Wednesday to discuss some of the most urgent or overlooked threats to water health across the state.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

More stories from The Metro

They’re back.

Algae are growing in western Lake Erie as they do every year, posing a potential health threat to people and pets.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration monitors Lake Erie for harmful algal blooms. Each spring, it estimates how large and toxic they might become.

NOAA oceanographer Rick Stumpf tells WDET on a scale of 1 to 10 — with 10 being the worst — this year’s bloom should be relatively mild.

“Right now, we’re estimating between 2.5 and 4.5,” he said.

What is a harmful algal bloom?

According to NOAA, harmful algal blooms form when colonies of microscopic algae called cyanobacteria grow out of control, creating a bluish green scum on the surface of the lake.

“It looks quite green, almost like a green sawdust,” Stumpf said.

Under the right conditions, the algae produce a toxin that can make people sick if they swallow it. In 2014, a toxic algal bloom contaminated Toledo’s drinking water, shutting the system down for several days.

When it rains, it pours

Stumpf says the size and severity of a bloom depends on how much phosphorus the algae can feed on. The main source of phosphorus is farm fertilizer that runs off into the Maumee River when it rains. Stumpf says scientists take water samples from the river, which empties into the lake.

“We look at what comes down the Maumee River from the beginning of March through July,” he said.

The samples they’ve collected so far indicate a mild bloom this summer. But that could change depending on how much rain falls.

Click here to see the latest Harmful Algal Bloom forecast

“We’ll update this weekly until we come up with what we consider the official forecast in July,” Stumpf said.

Budget cuts threaten the lab’s work

NOAA and the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory have been doing this work for decades. But the Trump administration has slashed jobs and funding at the agency, which also runs the National Weather Service. A ProPublica investigation found GLERL has lost a third of its staff since February 2025 and is struggling to buy testing equipment.

Stumpf says harmful algal bloom research is vital.

“Our goal is to protect health so that people are aware there are blooms and that there’s a risk,” he said.

But it’s not just people. Stumpf says toxic blooms can be fatal to pets.

“It does, unfortunately, kill several dogs each summer somewhere in the U.S.,” he says. “So, I can’t emphasize enough, if you see scum in a pond or the lake, please keep your dog out of the water.”

More stories from The Metro