LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Ruth Johnson on Thursday announced that legislation has been introduced in the Michigan Senate to invest $2.5 billion in dam infrastructure, wastewater systems, groundwater protection and providing clean drinking water to Michigan residents. She highlighted proposed funding for residents on well water.
“Michigan has more private wells than any state in the nation, with a quarter of our families relying on private wells for their drinking water, and I’m glad to see that this plan includes $5 million to help provide testing of private wells to ensure that all our families know if their drinking water is safe,” said Johnson, R-Holly. “It is so important for people to know what is in the water they are drinking. There are many contaminants, both natural and man-made that can affect the quality and safety of drinking water from wells, but testing is easy and affordable and there are options available to remove contaminants.”
Johnson, who herself relies on a private well for drinking water, created a Water Resources page on her state website to help constituents learn more about water safety. It is available at www.senatorruthjohnson.com/water-resources/ and allows families with well water to find information on available state, county and federal resources — including details on how to test for and, if necessary, safely remove various contaminants from their water.
“Unlike residents who rely on municipal water systems, well owners must perform their own quality control, know what contaminants to test for and how to remove any contaminants they find so that their water is safe to drink,” Johnson said. “Our water resources page also provides links to water quality reports for residents in our district who are on municipal water systems.”
Senate Bill 565 has been referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration.
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