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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In 2005, the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers signed the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement (Agreement). At the same time, the Governors endorsed the companion Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact (Compact) which became law in 2008. The Compact is an agreement between the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The Agreement includes the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The Compact and Agreement detail how the states and provinces act together to protect, conserve, restore, improve, and effectively manage the waters and water-dependent natural resources of the Great Lakes Basin.
The Compact requires that the states regulate any large quantity withdrawal, which is defined as any water withdrawal greater than 100,000 gallons per day. In addition, the Compact bans diversions of water outside the Great Lakes basin, with limited exceptions for straddling communities and communities within straddling counties that meet strict criteria.
The Office of the Great Lakes (OGL) and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Water Resources Division’s (WRD) Water Use Program staff work with regional, state, and local partners to support sustainable Great Lakes water use. The OGL participates in regular Great Lakes | St. Lawrence River Basin - Water Resources Council meetings and the Great Lakes | St. Lawrence River - Water Resources Regional Body meetings to uphold the highest standards to protect and sustain Great Lakes freshwater resources.
The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact (Compact) and the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement (Agreement) provide for regular review of each jurisdiction’s water management and water conservation and efficiency programs for compliance with the Compact and Agreement.
The Draft Five-Year Program Review outlines the state of Michigan’s implementation and status of its Water Management Program and Water Conservation and Efficiency Program pursuant to the Compact and the Agreement.
The Compact prohibits new or increased diversions of water from the Great Lakes to areas outside the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin with provisions for the small number of straddling communities and those within straddling counties, which must first meet strict criteria to obtain approval. These criteria include conservation efforts, allotted water volume, and a 100 percent return flow requirement. The OGL and Michigan Water Use Program participate in regular Compact Council and Regional Body meetings and evaluate proposed water diversion applications.
Michigan and the other states and provinces in the Great Lakes Region have enacted laws that require major water users to report water usage within the Great Lakes Basin. This information provides an environmental baseline for managing water resources in a more integrated manner and strengthens the legal basis for opposing unwarranted diversions of Great Lakes water to other regions of the country.
Water use data for each of the Great Lakes Basin states and provinces is available in the Great Lakes Regional Water Use Database that is provided and maintained by the Great Lakes Commission.
Michigan and the other Great Lakes states and provinces have each enacted laws that regulate water uses within the Great Lakes Basin. The laws are in accordance with the Great Lakes-St.Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact and a parallel international Agreement to manage the groundwater and surface water resources within the Great Lakes Basin, and to prohibit diversions outside the Basin. The Michigan Water Use Program is responsible for registering large quantity withdrawals, collecting annual water use data, making determinations on the potential impacts to water resources as a result of proposed withdrawals, and processing water withdrawal permits. The information managed by the Water Use Program provides an environmental baseline for managing water resources in an integrated manner and strengthens the legal basis for opposing unwarranted diversions of Great Lakes water. Michigan also established a voluntary Water Conservation and Efficiency Program required under the Compact.
The program is also advised by an external advisory group called the Water Use Advisory Council that collaboratively studies, evaluates, and provides advice regarding Michigan’s water management, conservation and efficiency programs. It also assists the agencies on technical issues, implementation, and monitoring overall progress of Michigan’s Water Use Program.
To ensure Michigan continues to fulfill our commitment under the Compact, EGLE submits to the Compact Council a Water Conservation and Efficiency Report annually and a Water Management Program Report every five years.
