April 6, 2005

The Department of Environmental Quality has completed a 6-year program assessing the risk of contamination for all groundwater and surface water sources of public drinking water, indicating that the majority of public drinking water sources have a high degree of protection. The DEQ and contract agencies completed 13,755 source water assessment reports for Michigan’s 12,108 community and non-community public water supplies.

“While Michigan’s drinking water is among the highest quality in the nation, the state must continue to aggressively protect this valuable resource,” said DEQ Director Steven E. Chester. “These assessments will help to focus our efforts in the areas most threatened.”

The Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) is a requirement of the 1996 amendments to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, and requires states to define source water areas, inventory contaminant sources, and inform the public of the results. The Michigan SWAP was developed through a stakeholders advisory committee and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in October 1999. Funding for the SWAP was obtained from a federal Drinking Water Revolving Fund set-aside of $5.9 million.

The public can obtain copies of source water assessment reports from their local water supplier or the DEQ. A final report of the Michigan SWAP is available on line at http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3313_3675_3693-110933--,00.html.

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

Revised April 6, 2005 by Pat Watson