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Out of sight, out of mind: measures designed to shield public from contamination push costs on future generations
Here in Michigan, 45% of the population gets its drinking water from groundwater, including two million who rely on private wells. Groundwater also feeds streams and rivers, and sustains wetlands. It is an invaluable resource, but Michigan has thousands of sites where groundwater is unsafe and undrinkable due to industrial pollution.
Since 1995, state policy has allowed contaminated groundwater to remain degraded, rather than requiring that contamination gets cleaned up. The legal tools that enable this are called institutional controls.
Download the summary brief (PDF) to learn more about institutional controls in Michigan, the consequences of this policy, and FLOW’s recommendations for how Michigan can do a better job protecting groundwater.
