September 24, 2004

The Department of Environmental Quality Director Steven E. Chester announced today that 57 communities would receive nearly $850,000 dollars through the Wellhead Protection Grant Program to safeguard public water supply systems. The program provides communities with financial assistance to protect their groundwater supplies from contamination. As part of the Wellhead Protection Program, communities delineate the land area contributing drinking water to their public wells, identify potential contaminants within that area, and implement management strategies and educational activities to protect the water supply.

“Protecting Michigan’s public groundwater supplies is one of the DEQ’s core responsibilities,” said Director Chester. “This funding will help to ensure that Michigan’s citizens have access to safe drinking water supplies.”

Communities work through local planning teams to prioritize concerns and implement management activities. To date, more than 88 percent of the population that depends on groundwater from public community water supplies has been positively impacted by the Wellhead Protection Program.

The program is funded through the Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund. The fund is comprised of federal grants under the Safe Drinking Water Act and state match. This is the seventh round of funding for this program with over $7 million awarded since March 1999.

Information on specific grants announced today is available through the following link: http://www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/deq-exe-pr-wellheadprotlist092404.pdf The next round of applications will be solicited from public water supply systems in May 2005.

Editor’s note: DEQ news releases are available on the department’s Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

Revised September 24, 2004 by Linda Davaloz LeVeque