Michigan recognizes national Drinking Water Week each year during the first full week of May. Drinking Water Week was established by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and its partners, and it provides a unique opportunity for both water professionals and the communities they serve to recognize the vital role water plays in our daily lives. This year also marks a historic milestone – the 50th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
EGLE's Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate (OCWPA) collaborates with other state divisions and agencies in using this week to educate the public on where their drinking water comes from, how to learn about their water quality, and who to contact with questions.
During this week, Michigan also proclaims Thursday as Private Residential Awareness Day to bring attention to the 2.6 million Michiganders who depend on private wells for their drinking water, and the responsibilities of well owners to properly maintain and test their wells.
Follow the water in the video below as it moves through the environment and becomes our drinking water.
What an amazing journey our water takes to get to our faucet!
Water is supplied to your home from either a public water supply or a private well. It’s important to determine how your water is supplied to understand how your water quality is monitored and who to contact if you have water quality issues. A general rule to follow is: If you get a water bill for your water, you are on a city/community residential water supply, which is a type of public water supply.
Got a minute? Learn how water travels from a local community water supply through a home and to its faucets.
Got a minute? Learn about how a water well pulls water from deep in the ground and pumps it into your home to your faucet.
Follow your drinking water from start to tap
MDHHS Activity Books: Grades K - 2
MDHHS Activity Books: Grades 3-5
In this video, Dewy the water drop explains how water from the environment makes its way into our homes to become our drinking water. You will learn about the water cycle, watersheds, groundwater, surface water, and the ways that drinking water can be supplied to our homes.
If you have a private residential well, scroll down to our “Resources for private residential well owners” section. If you still have questions or concerns, reach out to your local health department.
If you are on a city/community residential water supply, the best way to learn about your local water quality is by reading your water supplier’s Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), also known as an Annual Water Quality Report or visiting your city/community residential water web page. Every community water supplier must provide a CCR to its customers by July 1 each year. CCRs may be delivered in different ways, such as a paper copy or via a link within your bill. If you’re not sure where to access yours, contact your local water supplier. Your local water supplier should also be your first call to answer questions or address concerns.
If you still have concerns about your water quality visit our Drinking Water Concern System page. Here you will find frequently asked questions and answers about drinking water quality concerns, information on how to get your water tested, and steps to submit a concern. Submitted concerns are reviewed by the appropriate staff member who will follow up with you. Remember, depending on your water supply, your local health department or water supplier is likely your best resource for answering questions about your water.
Discover how water filtration works with this hands-on activity from the EPA
Most contaminants in water have no taste, color, or smell. The only way you might know if you have a problem is to test your drinking water.
The water coming to your home may already be regularly tested for certain contaminants depending on your water supply (view supply types).
If you have concerns about your water quality or want to know more about your water, consider doing your own testing.
Drinking Water Testing for PFAS
If you live near a potential PFAS source or if you are unsure, consider testing your drinking water via a certified PFAS Laboratory. Call MDHHS at 800-648-6942 to see if your home is in an area that is under investigation for PFAS, in which case MDHHS may be able to test your water for free.
Healthy water is important to everyone, especially for children as they are still growing and learning, and Michigan’s children spent a significant portion of their day in school or childcare facilities. Many of these facilities receive their water from a public water supply.
The School Drinking Water Program, within EGLE, works with schools and childcare facilities to monitor water quality.
Have questions? Learn more by reading our School Drinking Water Quality: Parent Information FAQ Document
¿Preguntas? Calidad del agua potable en las escuelas: Información para los padres. Preguntas frecuentes
جودة مياه الشرب في المدرسة: معلومات للآباء. الأسئلة الشائعة المتكررة
Visit Environmental Lending Station to borrow, free of charge, EnviroScape models and other resources, like "Awesome Aquifer" models, for hands-on demonstrations with your students. These items can allow students to see how contamination impacts groundwater, surface water, watersheds and the Great Lakes. Watch the following demos to understand how they can be used:
MDHHS Drinking Water Youth Activity Bags are an educational resource designed to help children understand how drinking water moves through our environment – from lakes, rivers, and groundwater to our homes. Each bag includes an activity book, colored pencils, a bracelet-making activity, highlighter, bookmark, and sticker sheet. Two versions are available: grades K-2 and grades 3-5.
Great Lakes Literacy education exploration, or GLLee, opportunities are an introductory collection of resources and partners assembled in three easy steps to help teachers and youth explore Great Lakes Literacy through place-based education and stewardship opportunities in your school and community!
Don’t forget to visit Michigan.gov/EGLEClassroom for more resources!
One way you may be exposed to lead is through drinking water. Water is lead free when it leaves the treatment plant, but it can pick up lead as it moves through plumbing. Homes with older plumbing or with lead service lines are at a higher risk for lead in drinking water.
To safeguard your household from lead exposure, MDHHS recommends using a certified lead-reducing water filter if your home has:
Keep using the filter until you replace old plumbing. Follow these tips to maintain water quality:
For more info, visit Michigan.gov/GetAheadofLead.
To find out if lead may be a concern in your drinking water there are a few things you can do:
For more information about lead and resources to share in your community, visit Michigan.gov/MiLeadSafe and Michigan.gov/KnowYourWater.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large family of human-made chemicals that contain carbon, fluorine, and other elements. PFAS are found in a variety of products including firefighting foams, household products such as non-stick cookware, food packaging, and stain and water repellants.
People can be exposed to PFAS in a variety of ways, including drinking water contaminated with PFAS.
PFAS chemicals don't break down easily and can build up over time. In recent years, experts have become increasingly concerned about the potential effects of high concentrations of PFAS on human health. PFAS move easily through the ground and may get into groundwater that is used for some water supplies or for private drinking water wells.
How to find out if PFAS may be a concern in your drinking water depends on how you get your water. If you’re on a public supply, your water is already routinely tested for the seven PFAS chemicals regulated under the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act.
If you have a private well, you can find out if you are in or near a PFAS Site or Area of Interest and/or test your water for PFAS. Find out about why results may vary from well to well with this short video.
In 2019, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Executive Order 2019-3, establishing the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) as an established, enduring body to address the threat of PFAS contamination in Michigan, protect public health, and ensure the safety of Michigan's land, air, and water, while facilitating inter-agency coordination, increasing transparency, and requiring clear standards to ensure accountability.
For more information about PFAS, visit Michigan.gov/PFASresponse.
A well and its water are ultimately the responsibility of the well owner. If you have a private well, there are things that you should do to monitor your well system and your drinking water to help protect your family’s health and ensure quality tap water. Use the MDHHS MiWell Maintenance Checklist annually to check your well and the surrounding area (it takes less than 10 minutes!).
Check with your local health department to learn if there are any drinking water concerns in your area and what testing is recommended. MDHHS recommends yearly testing for Coliform Bacteria and E. coli, nitrate, and nitrite and testing every 3-5 years for arsenic, copper, and lead. If you live near a potential PFAS source or if you are unsure, consider testing your drinking water via a certified PFAS Laboratory. Call MDHHS at 844-934-1315 to see if your home is in an area that is under investigation for PFAS, in which case MDHHS may be able to test your water for free.
Great Lakes Community Action Partnership's Water Well Assessment Program provides rural residents with no-cost well evaluations to help well owners determine possible sources of well contamination and other safety concerns, and a Household Water Well Assistance program that provides low-interest financing for well repair or construction.
Choose a topic below from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Care for MiWell website to learn more or find private residential well educational materials that can be shipped to you free of charge at MDHHS Health Promotions. Go to the category “Drinking Water”.
Help promote drinking water and private residential well owner education in your community using the Care for MiWell Promotion Toolkit. This toolkit contains prepared, science-based social media messages, graphics, videos, and printable materials. All of these materials are designed to make sharing drinking water information easy.
Subscribe to MDHHS drinking water and health newsletter to stay informed.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is responsible for enforcing the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act under the legislative authority of the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act, which means that EGLE regulates the public water supplies to ensure that they are complying with state and federal requirements to provide clean water to Michigan residents. There are approximately 1,400 community water supplies regulated by EGLE and 10,000 noncommunity water supplies overseen by Local Health Departments.
Additionally, EGLE also regulates the water well drilling industry. Michigan has nearly 1.12 million households served by private wells, with approximately 15,000 domestic wells drilled each year. EGLE investigates drinking water well contamination and oversees remedial activities at sites of groundwater contamination affecting drinking water wells.
Local health departments (LHDs) are the primary regulatory agencies with respect to residential wells. They are required to maintain a list of environmental contaminants within their jurisdiction, and they consider this information when they issue permits for new wells. LHDs work with Michigan residents to ensure compliance with monitoring and routine inspections of Type II and III wells.
The Clean Water Ambassador Initiative is a statewide program designed to improve education and communication concerning drinking water quality in Michigan. Clean Water Ambassadors may advocate for resources and are given up-to-date information and educational resources so that they may help to spread accurate information about drinking water in their community. If you are at least 18 years old and live in Michigan, you can become a Clean Water Ambassador too!
“Thank you, Clean Water Ambassadors! The time you give to learn more about Michigan’s drinking water, spread information to your community, and provide valuable feedback is important and appreciated. I look forward to our work together!”~ Kris Donaldson, Clean Water Public Advocate
Looking for a new career path? There is a real need for water and wastewater professionals in Michigan. This field encompasses a huge variety of educational backgrounds and career options, from trade skills to administration to engineering. Need more education for a position that look interesting to you? There are some great funding opportunities available. Learn more at Michigan.gov/CareersInWater.
Coming up the first week of June, Michigan celebrates Great Lakes and Fresh Water Week. Each year, Michigan proclaims this week to raise awareness of the Great Lakes and Michigan’s inland waterways and groundwater. It’s a time to reflect on the interconnectedness between Michiganders and the matchless water resources around us. Michigan is known around the world for these unique natural wonders, which people can help preserve in the face of many challenges. By raising awareness, we will inspire people to protect and be champions of the Great Lakes and fresh water. Our call to action is for residents around the state to learn about, enjoy, appreciate, and safeguard this vital resource for current and future generations. Get involved in a way that’s meaningful to you – find an event near you, take advantage of free fishing weekend, join or organize a local clean up!
Engage more with EGLE to learn about public participation opportunities, understand different types of regulatory actions, and engage through partnerships and collaboration.
Help others learn about drinking water by sharing any of the content below on your preferred social media platform! Use the hashtag #DrinkingWaterWeek
