he way Joe VanderMeulen sees it, good planning makes for good groundwater, good drinking water -- and good living.

That's why he helped create a unique computer software program that allows Michigan citizens in 22 communities to use one-touch technology to view how land use decisions impact natural resources, such as how development may affect groundwater supplies that provide drinking water.

With the touch of a finger across a screen, a citizen can see colorful maps and photos of the neighborhood, how the land is zoned, where groundwater wells are located, if hazardous sites are near those wells, and if the soil type can do an adequate job of filtering pollutants -- just to name a few features available.

The Community Information System gives participating communities a comprehensive tool in planning land use and guiding development. And that's important when it comes to protecting the groundwater supplies that provide 43 percent of Michigan residents with drinking water.

"The Community Information System shows community residents new ways and new processes to protect their groundwater and drinking water resources. It engages the community in that process," said VanderMeulen.

"If you protect groundwater and drinking water, and you're successful in land use planning, you're probably going to protect other natural resources that neighborhoods value, such as lakes, streams, wetlands and open spaces," said VanderMeulen, executive director of the Land Information Access Association (LIAA) in Traverse City. The LIAA is one of a number of groups located throughout Michigan which assists in assuring land use decisions are made based on a full analysis of the potential effects.

The technology he created, with seed money from the Groundwater Education in Michigan (GEM) project, is shaping land use decisions in communities bordering the Rouge River in Detroit to rural areas such as Clark Township in the Upper Peninsula's Mackinaw County. In Manistee County, the Community Information System is aiding efforts to protect groundwater supplies.

Manistee County is like a sieve -- the soil does virtually nothing to filter pollutants as they move through the ground. Nearly all residents and businesses in Manistee County rely on groundwater -- the water that surrounds the sand, gravel and clay beneath the earth's crust -- to supply the wells that provide drinking water. What gets dumped on top of the soil in Manistee County can readily travel to the groundwater below.

To put together a tailor-made Community Information System for Manistee County, VanderMeulen and his team assembled data bases from each local town and township -- information about land use, land ownership, assessments, zoning ordinances, taxation rates, etc. Then VanderMeulen's team also enlisted community and civic groups, ranging from local historical societies to the Future Farmers of America to help them chronicle the area's unique features and natural resources through photos, videos, and maps.

"The act of building the system actually helps build the community," said VanderMeulen. "All these participants communicate with each other and then see their efforts all come together in a system they can access.

"You can access information about every well in the county, how far below the surface it is, the geology of the area, the vulnerability of groundwater, and the filtration rates," said VanderMeulen. "It will tell you where there could be problems with septic tanks because of the soil type and filtration rates in the area, where land is highly permeable.

"We're talking about providing the public with access to information that has normally been available to only hotshot developers," explained VanderMeulen.

In Manistee County, it's assisted County Planner Kurt Schindler in focusing on groundwater protection "from county border to county border." About one-half of the township and municipalities in the county have developed groundwater protection ordinances, and another 25 percent are expected to do so.

Communities are devising Wellhead Protection plans, a planning and management approach designed to protect public groundwater supply systems from contamination. Many communities have adopted zoning policies and ordinances to allow growth, but also to protect natural resources, such as wetlands and wooded areas.

Manistee County's effort to manage development and protect groundwater is one example of how land use planning can affect the drinking water for many Michigan residents.

Through the help of the Grand Valley State University's Water Resources Institute, as well as government and foundation grants, Alpine Township is the first community in Kent County to benefit from a tailor-made geographic and community information system, according to Sharon Steffens, the township supervisor.

The system is providing valuable direction in charting the township's accelerating growth, since residential, commercial, and industrial growth has resulted in dramatic changes in land once dominated by dairy farms and apple orchards.

"It's helping us make decisions about how to preserve farmland and open spaces," said Steffens. "It gives us the capability to make better decisions. You can pull information out and make it very visual and understandable."

The system is also aiding Alpine Township protect groundwater by protecting its watershed area.

"We're restoring our watershed, mapping it out, and instituting best management practices to protect. We have some severe erosion problems along our streams, so we've collected old Christmas trees to use to shore up the embankments. We're developing a stormwater ordinance, and we've already instituted a higher degree of protection standards for businesses," she said.

A telephone call or visit to your township or municipal planning office can reveal whether your community has groundwater protection standards incorporated into local zoning ordinances. Ask if your community is requiring development sites to be designed to prevent spills and discharges to the environment, and what kind of hazardous containment regulations they require for businesses.

The Groundwater Education in Michigan (GEM) project, funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, provides assistance and resources to organizations, schools, colleges and elected officials around the state to stress the importance of groundwater protection.

When community leaders and citizens understand how land use can impact drinking water reserves, they can help funnel development into areas best suited for growth, and protect land best suited for wildlife, wetlands and woods. Through a wide variety of strategies -- from zoning ordinances to wellhead protection plans -- residents and communities around the state are taking steps to protect our drinking water by protecting our groundwater.