For Friday, Sept. 26, 2025

1 – Happy anniversary to the Pollution Emergency Alerting System, aka PEAS. 

It’s been 50 years since the launch of the system. 

The hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The PEAS line can be used to report a threat to public health or the environment from the release of oil, radioactive materials, or hazardous chemicals into the air, land or water.

Each year, PEAS receives about 2,000 calls. Spills to waterways and concerns about water quality make up the majority of reports.

You can report an environmental emergency by calling 800-292-4706.

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2 – Bay County’s Hampton Township is among eight communities sharing almost $2 million in awards to support renewable energy projects. 

Hampton is receiving just over $388,000 for hosting Karn Solar. That’s a  solar project under construction with an expected operation date of December 2026. 

According to Consumers Energy, the Karn Solar Project will be located on the former site of Karn 1 and 2 coal-fired generating units in Hampton.

Consumers says the project will have a total capacity of 85 megawatts, with panels spread over 440 acres. It’s expected to generate enough power for about 20,000 homes. 

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3 – We could learn a thing or two from muskrats. 

It turns out the rodents are pretty good at battling invasive species. 

Capital News Service reports on a study in the journal Freshwater Science. The gist: Muskrats construct lodges out of vegetation and burrow into riverbanks for shelter. 

Using drones, researchers found that this muskrat activity removed invasive cattails and European frogbit, and native flora was reestablished. 

Researchers say humans can recreate similar results through mechanical means. 

– Mr. Great Lakes is heard at 6:45 and 8:45 Friday mornings on Delta College Public Radio 90.1 FM WUCX in University Center, Michigan, near Bay City (listen live). Follow @jeffkart on Twitter #MrGreatLakes