The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has been unable to set critical water quality regulations for almost two decades. But change — and a safer water supply — may soon be on the horizon after legislation to restore the agency's capacities passed the state's Senate this summer, reported Michigan Advance.
Titled Senate Bill 663, the updated legislation disposes of a 2004 statute that outlawed EGLE's power to modernize standards for water protection. "By passing this bill, EGLE will regain authority to make rules that protect us from harmful chemicals released into our waterways," said Michigan Sen. Sue Shink, the Democrat who sponsored the bill, in Michigan Advance.
Water contamination is dangerous and shockingly commonplace. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), hazardous chemicals developed in the 1940s for use in non-stick cookware and other household standbys, take so long to break down they are known as "forever chemicals."
PFAS can heighten risks of cancer, high cholesterol, reproductive dysfunction, and childhood developmental disorders, among other health problems. Researchers recently concluded that PFAS are present in 45% of U.S. tap water samples, reported CNN. Many sectors, government and otherwise, are striving toward solutions.
Michigan has particular reason for concern, as the state's Water Stewardship Program detailed: "From microplastic pollution … PFAS contamination …. algae blooms in Lake Erie, failing septic systems, and erosion, Michigan has [its] hands full."
The state's Flint crisis, per the Natural Resources Defense Council, began in 2014 when "[inadequate] treatment and testing of the water resulted in … major water quality and health issues" for city residents — including severely "elevated blood lead levels," which are toxic and can be fatal in children.
Water contamination affects both public health and economics, with "diverse and far-reaching effects … impacting tourism, property values, commercial fishing, recreational businesses" and more, explained the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Still, noted Michigan Advance, Senate Bill 663 faced pushback from some state Republicans claiming frustration with administrative overreach.
Proponents of the bill, which is now in the state's House of Representatives, were unperturbed, Michigan Advance observed. "[Everyone] feels as though the water beneath them and the air above them is theirs, because they're standing on their property, but we have to recognize that this water flows between us," reflected state Sen. Jeff Irwin. "It's a resource that we have to share."
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