Essential water issues in Michigan

Surrounded by more than 90% of the nation’s fresh water, the Great Lakes are critical to who we are in Michigan and our way of life. Our Great Lakes are a source of clean drinking water for millions in the region and a key driver for our state’s economy, but today Michiganders are faced with widespread toxic contamination in drinking water and the threat of a catastrophic oil spill in the Great Lakes.

Any candidate visiting the state of Michigan should be prepared to talk about how they are going to protect our drinking water from toxic contamination, hold polluters accountable and continue cleaning up our Great Lakes.

Below are three key issues that frame this landscape:

Clean, safe and affordable water

Lead:

• The Flint water crisis made Michigan a national example of how government mismanagement can devastate a community, and that clean, safe drinking water is not available for all (especially those in Flint who still go without).
• Unfortunately, lead pipes are not just a Flint problem. There are a half million lead pipes in dozens of communities across Michigan, threatening the health of children, families and seniors who are exposed.
• Lead remains a huge problem in communities across Michigan, and according to estimates, it could cost billions to remove all lead pipes and it will take a bold, comprehensive plan at the local, state and federal levels to fix it.

PFAS:

• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of dangerous chemicals that have been widely used in firefighting foam, manufacturing plants, commercial products and food packaging since the 1950s and have been discovered in the water of communities across Michigan.
• State regulators estimate there are potentially 11,300 polluted sites in Michigan alone and nearly 1.9 million Michigan residents could be impacted.
• PFAS is not unique to Michigan and is impacting communities across the country, but unfortunately, the Trump administration has failed to show any leadership on tackling the PFAS water crisis.
• Military bases are a major source of PFAS contamination, and the Department of Defense must assist impacted communities with the cleanup of these toxic chemicals.

Climate Change

Here in Michigan, the impacts of climate change are already being felt by communities and industries across the state.

Agriculture:

• Heavy rainfall this year has thrown Michigan’s agriculture industry (which contributes more than $10 billion to the state’s economy each year) into a tailspin, disrupting planting cycles and forcing many farmers to make tough decisions about their crops. Corn and soybean farmers, in particular, are bearing the brunt of this, as it is the third wettest planting season in our state’s history.
• Michigan’s agriculture industry supports more than 800,000 workers and plays a vital role in our economy. If we don’t act now, the impacts of climate change will only get worse for Michigan farmers.

Tourism/economy:

• Recent excessive rainfall has led to record-breaking water levels that are impacting Michigan’s tourism and outdoor recreation economy. Harbors and marina docks are underwater, and boat launches on lakes and waterways across the state are shut down.
• Michigan’s tourism industry contributes about $25 billion to the state’s economy each year, generating $2.7 billion in state and local taxes in 2017.

Enbridge Line 5 Oil Pipeline

A 66-year-old, damaged Canadian oil pipeline called Line 5 pumps millions of gallons of crude oil at the bottom of Lake Michigan each day, putting Michigan’s most precious natural resource at risk of a catastrophic oil spill.

• The pipeline is operated by Enbridge Energy, the same company responsible for the 2010 Kalamazoo River oil spill, which is regarded as one of the largest inland oil spills in U.S. history.
• In early 2018, Michigan came close to near disaster when an anchor from a tugboat dragging on the bottom of the lake struck the pipeline, gouging it in three places and nearly causing a rupture.
• After years of pressure from concerned citizens, Enbridge Energy has proposed replacing the aging pipeline with a tunneled pipeline. A tunnel would take 7–9 years to construct, which means oil would continue pumping through the 66-year-old, damaged Line 5 pipeline for years to come, keeping our state at-risk of an oil spill.
• If Line 5 ruptures, it would put the drinking water of 15 million people in jeopardy. A 2018 study by Michigan Technological University found that a Line 5 oil spill would impact over 400 miles of Great Lakes coastline and cost up to $1.9 billion to clean up.