Governor Gretchen Whitmer is a lifelong Michigander. She is a lawyer, an educator, former prosecutor, State Representative and Senator. She was the first woman to lead a Senate caucus. But the most important title she boasts is MOM. Inspired by her family, she’s devoted her life to building a stronger Michigan for everyone.
Search is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer.
May 09, 2023
WHEREAS, water is constantly in motion, cycling through the environment and picking up pollutants and contaminants that either naturally occur or enter through groundwater or surface water that we use for drinking; and,
WHEREAS, 44% of Michigan residents using community public water supplies and private residential wells get their drinking water from groundwater; and,
WHEREAS, proper water well location, construction, routine care, and monitoring are vital to protecting public health and preserving our valued groundwater for drinking; and,
WHEREAS, over one million Michigan households are served by private residential wells for drinking water, with approximately 15,000 new residential wells drilled each year; and,
WHEREAS, drinking water provided to residents on community public water supplies is continually monitored through regulations in Michigan, while drinking water for residents on private residential wells is generally not monitored after initial well construction and inspection, and the responsibility falls on the homeowner to care for their drinking water source; and,
WHEREAS, caring for our drinking water is critical to protecting our health, as many contaminants, both natural and man-made, can go unnoticed and lack taste, smell, or color, and can harm our health, causing short or long-term health problems; and,
WHEREAS, the best way to protect our health against private residential well contamination is conducting routine water testing, following a routine well maintenance schedule that includes inspections, maintaining the area around the well to avoid contamination of the groundwater, and reporting water quality concerns to local and state officials so they may offer guidance; and,
WHEREAS, Michigan is committed to ensuring that private residential well owners have access to education and resources to know how to care for their drinking water and know about groundwater concerns in their area; and,
WHEREAS, on this day, I join with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to broaden public understanding of protecting groundwater and encourage residents to maintain private residential wells through routine inspection, water testing, and reporting water quality concerns;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim May 9, 2023, as Private Residential Well Awareness Day in Michigan in conjunction with Drinking Water Week.