LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Ruth Johnson on Thursday announced a new “Water Resources” page on her Senate website and new legislation to require the state to improve the information it provides private well owners.
“Michigan has more private wells than any state in the nation, with a quarter of Michigan families relying on private wells for their drinking water,” said Johnson, R-Holly. “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 has launched a Water Resources page on her website, www.SenatorRuthJohnson.com. Visitors to the site can find the new page by clicking Water Resources under the Resources tab.
“This page is designed to be a one-stop shop for constituents about water safety,” Johnson said. “On the page, residents can find links to water quality reports for municipal water supplies in our area, and families with well water will 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.”
The senator turned in new legislation that would require the Department of Environmental Quality to provide easy-to-use information online for residents who use private wells for drinking water. The dedicated state webpage would be required to include information about the potential health effects of various water contaminants and information on how well owners can safely mitigate these contaminants if necessary.
“I think it’s very important to provide as much information as we can to well owners in our state, so they can take the steps necessary to ensure their drinking water is safe,” Johnson said. “This new website and my legislation will both help with this goal.”
Johnson announced the bill during a floor statement in honor of World Water Day, which is March 22.
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Editor’s note: A video of Johnson’s floor speech is available by clicking on the image above or by visiting www.SenatorRuthJohnson.com/video.
The direct link to the Water Resources page is https://www.SenatorRuthJohnson.com/water-resources/.