The Michigan Drinking Water Protection Project
Drinking water protection is a land-use issue, and as such, is largely the responsibility
of local government. Resource constraints and legally prescribed responsibilities require
partnerships between township, municipal, county and state governments and among departments,
agencies and organizations at each level for the effective protection of drinking water.
Initiated by the Institute of Water Research at Michigan State University, the Michigan
Drinking Water Protection Project aims to enhance the ability of local officials at county,
township and municipal levels of government to initiate and sustain actions to protect local
drinking water supplies. To do so, IWR has created an information and education partnership
with six state-wide organizations representing local officials: the Michigan Association of
Counties (MAC), the Michigan Townships Association (MTA), the Michigan Municipal League (MML),
the Michigan Society of Planning Officials (MSPO), and the Michigan Association for Local
Public health through its affiliate (MALPH), the Michigan Association of Local Environmental
Health Administrators (MALEHA).
In consultation with its partners, the IWR team has written a series of issue-oriented fact sheets designed to:
- Increase local officials' awareness of strategies, zoning tools and techniques available to them for the protection of drinking water;
- Increase local officials' understanding of the responsibilities which officials at different governmental levels have for protecting drinking water; and
- Strengthen the stewardship ethic among local officials especially toward groundwater.
Fact sheets are available either through the Michigan Drinking Water website (http://www.gem.msu.edu) or one of the supporting agencies. To date, ten fact sheets have been completed with more planned for the near future.
