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Sampling preparation

Sampling preparation

Michigan water supplies must sample for lead and copper using a risk-based tiering criteria. This requires maintaining a site sampling plan that meets the compliance sampling requirements and reporting all lead and copper sample results to EGLE.

  • Michigan Environmental Health and Drinking Water Information System (MiEHDWIS) with water droplet

    Submit your sampling plan in MiEHDWIS

    Sampling plans should now be submitted through MiEHDWIS. Create a Lead and Copper Sample Site Plan activity and fill out the site information directly in the system.

several white and blue sampling bottles

Tap sampling checklist

To avoid missing steps or deadlines, use the tap sampling checklist to prepare for and conduct lead and copper tap sampling and report results to EGLE.

Use the checklist

depiction of homes with service lines and water main

Sample site selection

Site selection criteria were updated in 2018 to place more emphasis on sites with lead service lines. Review the updated sample site collection criteria to confirm the sites in your sampling pool still meet proper tiering criteria.

Review the criteria

street signs of Front St and Ridge St intersecting

Sampling plan (sampling pool)

Water supplies must submit to EGLE a sampling plan that contains a pool of properly tiered lead and copper tap sampling sites.

Training webinars for sampling preparation

  • Improving Lead and Copper Sample Plans, Service Line Inventories, and Sample Reports, Part 1 (3/4/26, 1 hour)

    This two-part webinar series discusses how community water supply lead and copper sample plans, service line inventories, and sample reports are inter-related. New guidance and a voluntary checklist will be shared to assist operators with improving the alignment of these documents. EGLE will also present proactive approaches to address unknown service lines, share reminders for service line material notifications to customers served by a lead, galvanized previously connected to lead, and lead status unknown service lines, and how to voluntarily update service line inventories before the next regulatory deadline.

  • Improving Lead and Copper Sample Plans, Service Line Inventories, and Sample Reports, Part 2 (3/5/26, 1 hour)

    This two-part webinar series discusses how community water supply lead and copper sample plans, service line inventories, and sample reports are inter-related. New guidance and a voluntary checklist will be shared to assist operators with improving the alignment of these documents. EGLE will also present proactive approaches to address unknown service lines, share reminders for service line material notifications to customers served by a lead, galvanized previously connected to lead, and lead status unknown service lines, and how to voluntarily update service line inventories before the next regulatory deadline.

Water flowing out of a faucet tap.

Return to tap sampling homepage

Michigan water supplies must sample for lead and copper using a risk-based tiering criteria. This requires maintaining a site sampling plan that meets the sampling requirements.