Prioritized
The Great Lakes Basin holds the world’s largest reserve of fresh water. Responsible management is essential to sustain future generations and Michigan agriculture. Food and fiber production is a reasonable and beneficial use of water that supports both the economy and the environment.
We support:
- Municipalities or other governments with jurisdiction over artificial impoundments, such as ponds and lakes, being allowed to reduce water levels to remove accumulated sediments.
- An increased role in any current or future state water use committees due to the diversity of Michigan agriculture.
- Developing water user committees to resolve water access challenges in watersheds where use may be limited.
- Water use policies and regulations based on peer-reviewed scientific research.
- Public hearings taking place in affected watersheds before considering any reclassification of stream temperature or size.
- Reclassification notices being provided a minimum of 180 days before hearings.
- Crediting landowners for recharge-enhancing practices to account for “water in” (rainfall) provisions.
- Legislation strengthening Michigan’s authority to conserve and protect the waters of the Great Lakes Basin.
- Including agricultural water uses in the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP), ensuring verified producers are protected from unverified adverse resource impact claims.
- The inclusion of peer-reviewed science and environmentally protective and economically feasible water conservation measures in Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices.
- Improving the use of Michigan’s Wellogic database of well drilling logs.
- Seasonal exemptions in Michigan’s Well Code for shallow aquifer water withdrawals.
Aquifer Conflicts
We support the Aquifer Conflict and Dispute Resolution with the following changes:
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development-certified well drillers to verify complaints, who cannot profit from repairs or replacements.
- High-capacity well owners not being presumed at fault until proven otherwise.
- Establishing a statute of limitations and release from future claims.
Research and Education
We support:
- Advancing research on water resources and agriculture’s role in the water cycle.
- Fostering public education partnerships highlighting agriculture’s water stewardship.
- The voluntary use of monitoring wells and water use record keeping on farms to increase efficiency, protect producer rights to water access and validate agricultural water use as a high priority.
- Voluntary farmer collectives for data sharing and regional modeling.
- Expanding incentive-based conservation programs and water recycling/reuse initiatives.
- Encouraging accurate well data reporting and training for well drillers, and funding for geological mapping.
- The findings of the Southwest Michigan Water Resource Council, which was charged with studying water resources in the region, and the Cass County Water Use Study, which collected data and developed models to predict water use impacts from watersheds in the region.
We oppose:
- Water allocation systems preempting surface water riparian doctrine or groundwater rights.
- Applying public trust doctrine to groundwater.
- Diversion of natural Great Lakes Basin water.
- Michigan’s definition of agriculture’s consumptive use.
- Legislative or regulatory efforts resulting from federal, regional, state and/or local initiatives that adversely impact agriculture.
- The State of Michigan removing dams located on drains and waterways that recharge aquifers of the state.
- Not requiring owners of existing dams to maintain them.
- Attempts to limit efficient agricultural water use.
- Water use prioritization.
- Using collected agricultural water use data for regulatory purposes or to advance agendas in opposition to efficient agricultural water use.
- Well code changes placing economic or regulatory burdens on landowners in the absence of peer-reviewed science.
- The commodification of water.
- The Environmental Protection Agency designating interstate aquifers as “sole source aquifers.”