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Water Resources Division

The mission of the WRD is to make Michigan’s waters safe and clean for recreating, fishing, drinking, and healthy aquatic ecosystems.
Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy

Water Resources Division

Phone List

Staff assignments by county

District Office Contact Information

Information Guide (Who Does What)

Statutes and Rules graphic

MiEnviro - Permitting and Compliance

MiEnviro Contacts

WRD Forms

EGLE Policies and Procedures

The Water Resources Division (WRD) protects and monitors Michigan's waters by establishing water quality standards, assessing the health of aquatic communities, issuing permits to regulate wastewater dischargers, and overseeing aquatic invasive species concerns and water withdrawals. The division processes permit applications and provides technical assistance to local soil erosion and sedimentation control programs, as well as activities like dredging or filling, constructing or dismantling dams, constructing marinas, seawalls, or docks, building in a designated critical sand dune, wetland, or floodplain, and protecting underwater shipwreck resources. The Division oversees and issues construction permits for all public wastewater infrastructure, requires asset management in NPDES permits to ensure proper maintenance and oversees critical large-scale infrastructure improvements in the area of CSO/SSO control vital to health of Michigan's waterways.

WRD's mission: Making Michigan’s waters safe and clean for recreating, fishing, drinking, and healthy aquatic ecosystems.

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  • Headshot of the Water Resources Division Director, Jerrod Sanders.

    Meet Director Jerrod Sanders

    Before becoming the WRD director, Jerrod has spent his entire 20-year public service career helping further the division’s mission of making Michigan’s waters safe and clean for recreating, fishing, drinking, and fostering healthy aquatic ecosystems. His diverse set of responsibilities in WRD has included implementing and managing oversight of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and soil erosion and sedimentation control program responsibilities in the Kalamazoo District prior to becoming the Kalamazoo Office’s District Supervisor. In 2017, he was promoted to Field Operations Section Manager, leading a number of Lansing-based functions and WRD district offices. Two years later he was promoted to his previous position, Assistant Division Director overseeing all aspects of the resource programs.

    Jerrod Sanders' Biography