FYI on Local Water Issues

In Michigan we have water all around us. We have the Great Lakes buffering our borders, and we have over 20,000 inland lakes. The Great Lakes Basin holds 20% of the world's freshwater. Needless to say, we have water to drink. Many residents of the Lower Grand River watershed receive their tap water from either the City of Grand Rapids Drinking Water Plant or from the City of Wyoming's Drinking water plant. These plants take the water from Lake Michigan, which is fed by the Grand River. If you receive your drinking water through the tap know that the facility making it must meet regulated standards. If you are getting your water from a private well it can be tested by independent companies, if you have questions regarding your well please contact your local Health Department.

It is important for all of us to protect our water resources. If we do not keep our surface water clean and pollutant free we can't draw from Lake Michigan. If we contaminate our soil with oil, metals, or human waste we can't use our groundwater or our wells.

If you would like to see how drinking water is collected from the Lake Michigan and how it is cleaned for human consumption, go to the City of Wyoming's Drinking Water Plant.

Here are some helpful 1-2 page documents from the Environmental Protection Agency on drinking water:

• General Drinking Water Information
• Drinking Water Treatment
• Drinking Water Contamination
• Drinking Water Primary and Secondary Standards
• Drinking Water Resources

For more information on drinking water, consult the following resources:

• EPA Source Water
• EPA Michigan Drinking Water
• Recommended Site Plan Review Standards for Protecting Drinking Water Quality
• MDEQ Drinking Water
• City of Kalamazoo - Protecting your drinking water
• The Trust for Public Land - Clean Drinking Water
• GEM Program - Michigan's Drinking Water
• Michigan Environmental Health Association - Water Sampling Tips

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