The water beneath your feet is receiving some attention from a bill introduced recently in the state House.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Jim Howell, R-St. Charles, would establish guidelines for the pumping and usage of groundwater.
The bill is waiting for a vote in the House, but already has gained support on both sides of the aisle.
“I was thinking of introducing one myself but now I don’t have to because it’s a pretty good one,” said Virg Bernero, D-Lansing.
Bernero said even though Michigan has focused on water issues, groundwater is one of the few aspects that hasn’t been considered.
The bill would address the groundwater issue by requiring permits for any plants pumping groundwater out at a rate higher than 70 gallons per minute as well as developing a plan for parties affected by groundwater usage.
“There’s not a clear legal pathway,” Bernero said. “It is not clear that someone was harmed by somebody sucking water up.”
The permitting process would be managed by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
DEQ spokesman Ken Silfven said the process shouldn’t be too complicated since it is more of a preventative measure than a usage restriction.
“We’re not looking to turn it into some big cumbersome water allocation because that would be just a nightmare,” he said. “What Rep. Howell is proposing is keeping with Michigan’s fair and reasonable use of our resources.”
Silfven said the process likely will include two aspects. The first would be automatic approval of permits when much is known about the groundwater in the area. The second would require an examination of the impacts when the area is not so well known.
So far, Howell hasn’t heard many concerns from plants who pump from groundwater.
Officials at the Lansing Board of Water & Light, which pumped 7.6 billion gallons of water last year in the Lansing area, said they’re working with legislators but have been interested in the issue.
“We’re working with the legislators to clear up some of the vague language,” public information senior analyst Nancy Kremsreiter said. “We’re interested to protect the groundwater without punishing our municipality.”
