Frequently Asked Questions

GENERAL            AIR            LAND           WASTE           WATER 

GENERAL 

• How do I find the  local health department?
• How do I find the  county clerk's office to find out about local requirements?

EMERGENCY PLAN 

• Can my facility combine different emergency response plans?

PERMITS 

• As a biodiesel manufacturer, what permits will I need from MDEQ?
• I am starting a new manufacturing business. What permits may I need from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)?

PUBLICATIONS 

• Does the DEQ publish a book that explains all of its regulatory programs?   

AIR 

AIR POLLUTANTS 

• What are Hazardous Air Pollutants?

ASBESTOS 

• Do I have to notify the DEQ Air Quality Division even if the building I intend to demolish or remodel as not asbestos?

CONSULTANTS 

• Do you have a listing of consultants that could help me with air quality issues? 

CONSUMER PRODUCTS RULE 

• Is the consumer product that my company manufactures subject to the new Consumer Products Rule?

GENERATOR 

• Do I Need an Air Permit for a Diesel Generator?

OPACITY 

• How do I become certified to evaluate visible emissions (opacity) in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Reference Method 9?

OPEN BURNING 

• What is the proper way of disposing of a U.S. flag?
• Does a local fire department have to receive permission from the DEQ to burn a structure for fire training?
• My neighbor is burning trash in a burn barrel and the smoke is affecting my health. What can I do?

VAPOR BALANCE 

• What air quality regulations do gasoline station owners and gasoline tanker truck drivers have to comply with?

LAND 

CONTAMINATED SITES 

• What online resources are available to realtors and the general public interested in locating potentially contaminated or listed contaminated sites?
• Where can I find information about contaminated sites on the DEQ Web?

OIL & GAS 

• What are mineral rights?
• How is property pooled for oil and gas production?
• What is Hydrogen Sulfide gas, and how is it produced?

STORAGE TANKS 

• Does the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) require that an environmental consulting firm meet certain standards to be qualified to investigate and clean up contamination caused by leaking underground storage tanks (LUST)?
• Which underground or aboveground storage tanks need to pay fees, be plan reviewed, and registered in Michigan?

WASTE 

BOTTLE BILL 

• Where can I find information about the Michigan bottle bill?

FEES 

• What is this notice for waste fees that my company received?

HAZARDOUS WASTE 

• What should homeowners do with expired and unused medications?
• What is a hazardous waste satellite container?
• What wastes can't go to a landfill from a household?

STORAGE TANK 

• What steps do I follow to properly close my residential heating oil tank?

YARD WASTE 

• What do I do with all the leaves and grass clippings in my yard?

WATER 

DRINKING WATER 

• Why should my well water get tested and for what contaminants?

PERMITS 

• Where is my permit?  
• I own residential water front property and am thinking of making improvements to it? Do I need permits from the DEQ?
• What activities require Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Permit (Part 91) and/or Storm Water Coverage for Construction Activities (Part 31) and where do you get the permits?
• How do I transfer ownership of wastewater discharge permits issued by Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), Water Bureau (WB)?

SEPTAGE & BIOSOLIDS 

• What is the difference between septage and biosolids? Are septage haulers allowed to discharge septage on the ground?
• What are biosolids, how are they used, and are they safe?

TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION 

• What training and certifications are offered by the DEQ regarding Soil Erosion adn Sedimentation Control and Construction Storm Water? 

VEHICLE MAINTENANCE 

• Do I need a permit to discharge wastewater from vehicle washing activities at municipally owned vehicle maintenance facilities? 

WASTEWATER 

• Lagoon Systems 
• When rustic camping, what soap products are the best to use when washing dishes or bathing?
• What regulatory program regulates the wastewater discharge from my facility?
• What Michigan Department of Environmental Quality regulations apply to homeowners that want to discharge wastewater to the ground at their homes?
• What environmental protection practices should be considered related to community car washes (fund raising events for nonprofit organizations where numerous vehicles are washed at one location over a short period of time)?
• A sanitary sewer line is going past my home. Can the local unit of government require me to hook up to the sanitary sewer?

WETLANDS 

• How has completion of the state's wetland inventory changed wetland protection in Michigan?
• How do I find out if I have wetland, or need a permit to build on my property? 

MISCELLANEOUS 

• What Michigan Department of Environmental Quality regulations apply to geothermal heat pumps?  (pdf)
• What is dewatering? How does Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regulate dewatering activities, and what practices can be employed to help protect neighboring wells and surface water quality during this activity?
• I want to buy a house on an inland lake, how can I find out the quality of the water?
• Potential Adverse Impacts of Deicers with a Focus on Agricultural By-Product Deicers on Water Resources