A complete list of all programs within the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)
Community involvement and public participation are an essential part of EGLE’s mission, vision, and values.
Resources and information on utilizing RRD's data exchange and the Inventory of Facilities.
An interactive map displaying contaminated sites throughout Michigan regulated under Parts 213, 201, and 211.
EGLE's interactive calendar is designed to provide timely information on decisions before the Director, proposed settlements of contested cases, administrative rules promulgation, public hearings, meetings and comment deadlines, and environmental conferences, workshops and training programs.
The Michigan Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides all persons (except persons incarcerated in correctional facilities) with access to public records of public bodies. Requests to inspect or receive public records from EGLE must be in writing and describe the requested records with enough detail to enable the department to identify and locate the requested records. Some records are exempt from disclosure under the FOIA or another statute and thus will not be provided. A fee may be charged to process your request. Please note that many records are available that do not require a formal FOIA request.
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Michigan's thirteen underwater preserves include approximately 7,200 square miles of Great Lakes bottomland - an area larger than the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. The underwater preserves protect some of the region's most sensitive underwater resources. Michigan's first underwater preserve was designated in 1980 through legislation developed and supported by Michigan sport divers.
As a result, the finest sport diving in the Midwest can be found in Michigan's Great Lakes. Shipwrecks and natural features attract skin and scuba divers from across the U.S. They come to explore these shipwrecks and see how the cold, clear fresh water of the Great Lakes preserves history. Small items, such as plates, bells, ship's rigging, cargo, and other artifacts often remain where they were left many years before.
Communities near underwater preserves provide many services for the diver and non-diver alike. Lodging, restaurants, campgrounds, and other attractions can be found here for the entire family.
Most underwater preserves have dive charter services. There are boat ramps, marinas, and other facilities for divers with their own boats. Many of the popular dive sites are buoyed by volunteers of the Michigan Underwater Preserve Council, Inc., a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to development and management of the preserves. Shore-access diving is available from many preserves.
It is important to remember that the State of Michigan's bottomland preserve system is unfunded and that preserves are not "state parks."
Wrecks outside of the established preserves are afforded the same protection as those enclosed within preserve boundaries. It is a felony to remove or disturb artifacts on Great Lakes bottomlands. Those apprehended and convicted of removing items such as cargo, portholes, anchors, or other "souvenirs" will face having their boats, cars, and equipment confiscated and up to two years imprisonment and stiff fines. The law does not restrict searching for, diving on or photographing shipwrecks.
Anyone with information about the illegal removal of artifacts can call the Michigan Department of Natural Resources at 800-292-7800.
