MEC submits comments on state's 30-year water strategy

MEC and several of our partners and members submitted formal comments on the draft document, Sustaining Michigan's Water Heritage: A Strategy for the Next Generation, created by the Office of the Great Lakes (OGL) at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

(See "Ten surprising facts in Michigan's water strategy" for more information.) Overall, our comments were supportive and encouraging. Despite a few areas where we suggest speedier timelines or tighter language in a particular recommendation, we're mostly just excited, and encouraged that the state has put forward such a comprehensive 30-year water strategy.

As we stated in our comments:

In an era of unprecedented freshwater uncertainty (such as Western-state droughts and climate change), the development of a comprehensive and far-reaching strategy and vision articulating the value and role of Michigan's precious water resources is a great thing. We applaud the Governor for asking for the strategy, and thank Jon Allan and the team at OGL for pulling it together...It offers a solid accounting of the many specific water-related challenges, opportunities and options facing the state today, and in decades ahead. From aquatic invasive species and harmful algae blooms to groundwater withdrawals and stormwater runoff, the document offers a sobering and insightful picture of the road ahead.

If you're interested in the nitty-gritty of our comments, there's plenty of material to dig into, including calls for stronger language opposing commercial fish farms in the Great Lakes, more details about water affordability, greater emphasis on watershed-level governance opportunities and more urgency around septic inspections, water withdrawals, and replacing soon-to-expire monitoring and clean-up programs.

But beyond the specific policy ideas lies a bigger challenge for OGL–and for all of us. That's to make sure this plan doesn't end up on a shelf or get tied up (and bogged down) by politics. It's got the depth and credentials to become a useful action plan during the current administration and in future ones, but only if we're ready to take some ownership.

The water strategy might not be perfect, but it's a good tool and MEC is committed to helping ensure that implementation and follow-up are baked in from the start.