Residents and wastewater users in Kalkaska County can rest easier at night. A bid to weaken septic and groundwater protections has failed. The November 22 meeting of the District 10 Health Board yielded what appears to be the final chapter of the year-long effort to prevent Kalkaska County from ending the point-of-sale septic inspection program contained in the District 10 Health Department Sanitary Code.
Can Michigan’s governance system succeed in solving one of our state’s worst water pollution problems? That’s the key question in the wake of FLOW’s Michigan Septic Summit in Traverse City on November 6. Attended by more than 150 people representing diverse points of view, the summit demonstrated that there is widespread interest in addressing a problem that is putting our waters and human health at risk.
Above: Nature Change’s Joe VanderMeulen and FLOW’s Liz Kirkwood welcome attendees to the Michigan Septic Summit on Nov. 6, 2019, at Northwestern Michigan College’s Hagerty Center in Traverse City. All photos by Rick Kane. We really didn’t know what the level of public interest would be when FLOW started working with Joe VanderMeulen of Nature… septic-summit-draws-packed-crowd-to-traverse-city/" title="ReadMichigan Septic Summit Draws Packed Crowd to Traverse City”>Read more »
FLOW and several community partners will host the Michigan Septic Summit on Wednesday, November 6, at the Hagerty Conference Center in Traverse City. The public event aims to protect fresh water and public health from uncontrolled septic pollution. The one-day conference runs from 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. and costs $25 in advance (including lunch) or $30 at the door. Click here to register.
Most Michiganders don’t know that September 16-20 is Septic Smart Week — and that an estimated 130,000 septic systems in our state are failing. In many cases that means sewage and associated microorganisms are reaching groundwater, lakes and streams.
Michigan’s estimated 140,000 compromised septic systems aren’t just a water pollution problem — they’re a threat to human health. A new video documentary produced by Joe VanderMeulen of NatureChange.org and sponsored by FLOW, the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council (NMEAC), Leelanau Clean Water, and the Benzie Conservation District underscores the serious health risks posed by a hidden pollution source fouling groundwater, lakes, streams and drinking water across Michigan. Evidence is growing that on-site septic systems, used to handle and break down sewage and other household wastes in areas without public sewage treatment systems, are contributing to disease.
With an estimated 130,000 septic systems leaking E. coli and other pollutants into Michigan groundwater, lakes, and streams, you would hardly think it time to relax inspection requirements. But that’s exactly what Kalkaska County is considering this spring – and this has some local residents and environmental experts concerned. Kalkaska County has a sanitary code… septic-system-inspections-threatens-kalkaska-waters/" title="ReadProposal to Abolish Required Septic System Inspections Threatens Kalkaska Waters”>Read more »
Traverse City, Mich. — Flow Water Advocates opposes the proposed federal environmental budget, which includes major cuts to programs that protect clean water, public health, and the Great Lakes. “These budget cuts would jeopardize the water and systems that Michiganders and people throughout the Great Lakes region rely on,” said Liz Kirkwood, Executive Director of… Read more »
Every year on March 22, people around the world recognize World Water Day—a time to reflect on just how essential water is to our lives, our communities, and our future. Here in Michigan, water isn’t just important—it’s part of who we are. Surrounded by the Great Lakes and home to thousands of inland lakes, rivers,… Read more »
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form. What is your MOST important issue regarding the health and protections of the Great Lakes? * Keeping Great Lakes water in the Great Lakes Shutting down Line 5 Stopping factory farm pollution Protecting our groundwater Passing… Read more »
