As extreme weather harms the Great Lakes, the funding and research needed to adapt to climate change come slowly

Massive flooding from a 4.5-inch rain soaked the Detroit area last month, overloading local sewer systems and pushing sewage into rivers and lakes. Harmful toxins from a huge algae bloom in Lake Erie temporarily shut down drinking water in Toledo, Ohio. Sometimes even an inch or two of rain in Chicago can overwhelm the city’s sewer system and flush wastewater into Lake Michigan.