Dec 6, 2017
Michigan citizens cherish water — at least water they can see. But Michigan harbors a considerable amount of water not visible to the naked eye — groundwater — and it’s in trouble. According to the US Geological Survey, 45% of Michigan’s population depends on groundwater as a drinking water source and the state has more private wells, 1.25 million, than any other state. The state may have more groundwater contamination sites than any other state, too, although there’s no way to know. What is apparent from state government web pages is that there is a vast and spreading stain on Michigan’s groundwater. A recent case in Kent County illustrates how not so benign neglect has put water itself and public health at risk. Thanks to policies put in place by Governor John Engler in the 1990s, thousands of sites across the state were not cleaned up, and many are now coming back to haunt us. Any serious candidate for governor is going to have to make policy recommendations on how to better protect our groundwater — and our...
