The majority of Michigan residents get their drinking water from community water systems, most of which were built between 50 and 100 plus years ago. Many of these municipal systems have already exceeded their expected lifespan and do not meet today's state and federal drinking water, wastewater, and storm water standards.
These systems are often not thought about, operating largely without the public's attention, except for times of crisis. Many rural and urban water and drain systems are faced with limited financial resources, and communities are deferring the investments needed to maintain, rehabilitate, and/or replace older infrastructure. Investments need to continue to be made to provide a safe and reliable water supply.
Local units of government are accountable for maintenance and operation of the infrastructure affecting their residents. Therefore, we support:
Research to develop better materials for public water lines, wastewater and storm water systems.
Development of better processes for the operation and maintenance of the public infrastructure.
Long-range planning and comprehensive asset management.
An increase in federal safe drinking water funds, USDA Rural Development water and sewer funds, and Environmental Protection Agency brownfield loan and grant funds.
Prioritizing redevelopment and reuse in areas with existing public infrastructure.
A third-party, independent annual financial audit of municipal water, sewer and storm water systems being conducted and reported to the State of Michigan.
Municipalities collecting adequate revenue from system users to pay for needed infrastructure repairs and maintenance.
Encouraging municipalities to take advantage of low interest loan plans.
Implementation and enforcement of pollution prevention control measures on municipalities, especially phosphorus removal.
We oppose:
A statewide assessment to pay for repair of individual municipality’s water, sewer, and storm water infrastructure for any reason.