State of the Great Lakes Report
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Academic
Here in Michigan, the Great Lakes shape our state, our lives, and our livelihoods. They are our source of drinking water, transport our goods, afford us the world’s greatest recreation, and power our economy. Michiganders have a special connection to the water, and especially our Great Lakes. It is our duty to preserve these natural wonders for future generations. In the past year, we have made investments and taken several steps to protect our waters, many explored in this 2022 State of the Great Lakes Report. In March, I signed into law the bipartisan Building Michigan Together Plan, which invested over $1.9 billion in our water infrastructure. The water investment is a key component of the nearly $5 billion plan that protects our environment, grows the economy, creates jobs, and supports families throughout our state. The plan includes $1.27 billion to protect drinking water, such as funding to replace lead water lines, and more than $700 million for clean water initiatives to address stormwater and wastewater. Meanwhile, hundreds of Michiganders came together to shape the MI Healthy Climate Plan that we unveiled in April.
The plan outlines a path for us to build a prosperous, carbon-neutral future that grows our economy and defends our natural resources from the worst impacts of climate change while ensuring that we leave no one behind. The year also saw the bipartisan MI Clean Water Plan we created in 2020 keep making progress, delivering $186.4 million to fund water infrastructure improvements in more than 100 communities across our great state. And the current bipartisan state budget I signed includes $56 million to improve oversight of drinking water and help communities leverage state dollars to improve water infrastructure and replace lead service lines. All of these investments in our water are crucial down payments whose impacts will be felt far into our future. They will support good-paying jobs and give every parent peace of mind to give their kid a glass of water, knowing that it’s safe. They are also a testament to what we are capable of when we work together to get things done. I will work with anyone to defend our Great Lakes and build a state worthy of our kids.
I will work with anyone to defend our Great Lakes and build a state worthy of our kids. Let’s keep getting it done, Governor Gretchen Whitmer
Taxonomy
- Lake Management