Department of Environmental Quality Director Steven E. Chester announced today that Bill Creal has been appointed as division chief of the DEQ's Water Bureau, and Liz Browne has been appointed as division chief of the Land and Water Management Division.

Creal has been the section chief of the Water Bureau's Permits Section since 2003, where his responsibilities have included the development and issuance of all National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and groundwater permits for the state of Michigan. Bill started his career with the DEQ in 1978 as an aquatic biologist with the Surface Water Quality Division.

Browne has been acting division chief for the department's Land and Water Management Division since August of 2006, and will now be assuming that role on a permanent basis. Liz was previously the chief of the Superfund Section in the DEQ's Remediation and Redevelopment Division, and also served as the field operations manager for the former Storage Tank Division. Liz started her career with the DEQ in 1980.

"Both Liz & Bill bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the job," said Director Chester. "I am confident that their leadership will help further our efforts to provide the highest level of service to the public, and protection for the environment."

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

"Protecting Michigan's Environment, Ensuring Michigan's Future"

Revised August 14, 2008 by Pat Watson