One aspect of environmental justice addresses the unequal distribution of environmental risks by race, ethnicity, and class. In this intensive, we examine potential occurrences of environmental injustice in communities along the Great Lakes coast. The Great Lakes are home to 10% of the US population and provide 80 percent of fresh surface water to the US. However, groundwater discharge acts as a hidden source of contamination. We use geographic information systems (GIS), vulnerability maps, and demographic data to conduct spatial analyses of pollution risk across select cities on the Great Lakes. A paucity of analytical data is often used to discredit decades of lived experiences and knowledge of minority communities. In this intensive, we explore the capabilities of GIS as a tool to reveal systematic patterns of environmental justice across different geographic and administrative scales (for example census blocks, cities, and concentric circles). We begin by exploring simple principles of groundwater transport and GIS. We end by examining ways of incorporating lived experiences and alternative ways of knowing with mapping products to tell a more holistic story of justice.