Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2004MI47B

Studying the Quantative Water Withdrawal Effects on Michigan's Water Supply and Distributing the Conclusions

Institute: Michigan
Year Established: 2004 Start Date: 2004-03-01 End Date: 2005-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $15,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $31,653

Principal Investigators: William Northcott, Steve Miller

Project Summary: The public perception of a bountiful water supply and viable water resources is being altered by published events of conflicting water uses. Due to continued media coverage on conflicting water withdrawals from industry, mining operations and irrigators, past drought conditions, and water diversion, the public is now acutely aware of potential water conflict issues regarding quantity and quality of the water source. In accordance with protecting the water supply, the state of Michigan has recently passed legislation, Public Act 148 of 2003, to manage and protect the water resources with respect to water withdrawals. One of the mandates is to produce a Groundwater Inventory and Map to guide the policy makers to enact appropriate legislation. Through the compilation and integration of data and information resulting from the inventory and the subsequent map and combining the ongoing and proposed studies, outreach and educational opportunities will be developed and made accessible concerning hydrologic principles including water use, availability, quantity, and quality to legislators, policy makers and the nonscientific community. By utilizing existing technological and standard models, these educational materials can be maximized for dissemination to target audiences.