Webinar Registration Traverse City, Mich. – Michigan’s water and public health are threatened by an estimated 330,000 failing septic systems, but new legislation (SB 771) recently introduced by Sen. Sam Singh (D-28) proposes common-sense statewide septic standards to help keep human and household wastes out of our lakes, rivers, and drinking water wells. Michigan is the only… septic-system-legislation/" title="ReadFlow to host webinar about new septic system legislation”>Read more »
Download PDF Our invisible water crisis. Michigan faces a long-standing and largely invisible water quality crisis driven by failing septic systems. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) estimates that 330,000 of Michigan’s 1.3 million septic systems are currently failing. Untreated sewage is entering groundwater, rivers, and lakes at alarming rates. Studies… septic-code-in-michigan/" title="ReadPolicy brief: The case for a statewide septic code in Michigan.”>Read more »
January 28, 2026 Lansing, Mich. – Today in the Michigan Senate, Sen. Sam Singh (D-28) introduced legislation to establish the state’s first-ever comprehensive framework for the oversight and maintenance of onsite wastewater treatment systems, also known as septic systems. The legislation (SB 771) will modernize Michigan’s outdated approach to septic system oversight, and protect the… septic-sytem-code-legislation-introduced/" title="ReadSeptic systems standards legislation introduced in Michigan state senate”>Read more »
A septic system is an underground wastewater treatment system for homes that are not connected to a city sewer system. When regularly pumped and maintained, a septic system efficiently manages the wastewater produced in a house. These systems generally work very well, and are “out of sight, out of mind.” But when a septic system… septic-codes/" title="ReadMichigan’s big fail: Other Great Lakes states stronger on septic“>Read more »
The Health Department of Northwest Michigan office in Bellaire. (Photo: Jan-Michael Stump/Record-Eagle) More than 1.3 million homes and businesses in Michigan use septic systems to treat household sewage and wastewater. If not maintained, failing septic systems can contaminate drinking and ground water, and release bacteria, viruses, and household chemicals into lakes and rivers. Proper septic system maintenance… septic-code/" title="ReadTell your health department and county commissioners that you SUPPORT a statewide septic code for Michigan!”>Read more »
It’s hard to believe, but Michigan — the state at the heart of the Great Lakes and home to 20% of the world’s fresh surface water — is the only state in the nation without a statewide septic code. That means that Michigan has no minimum standards for the construction, inspection, repair, or even pumping of septic systems. Michigan has 1.3… septic code legislation: Send a Letter to the Editor”>Read more »
Image courtesy of Leelanau.gov. Editor’s note: This opinion article by FLOW Legal Advisor Skip Pruss was originally published in the Traverse City Record-Eagle on Sept. 4, 2022. During SepticSmart Week, which runs through Friday, FLOW is sharing updates on efforts to protect fresh water and public health from uncontrolled septic system waste, as part of an… septic-pollution/" title="ReadSepticSmart: Leelanau County Board Wisely Votes to Protect Fresh Water and Public Health from Septic Pollution”>Read more »
Graphic courtesy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Editor’s note: During SepticSmart Week, which runs through Friday, FLOW is sharing updates on efforts to protect fresh water and public health from uncontrolled septic system waste, as part of an annual educational campaign that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched a decade ago, with the State of Michigan, other… septicsmart-week-progress-on-protecting-public-health-and-fresh-water/" title="ReadSepticSmart Week: Progress on Protecting Public Health and Fresh Water”>Read more »
There’s a loose patchwork of septic standards in Michigan Because of the lack of state standards to assure replacement of failing septic systems, some counties, townships, cities, and villages are enacting local ordinances in place of statewide requirements, but they are relatively few out of Michigan’s approximately 2,000 local units of government. Only 11 of… septic-code/" title="ReadWhy does Michigan need a statewide code for septic systems?”>Read more »
This fall, the Michigan legislature will have an opportunity to correct a grievous and egregious deficiency in Michigan’s water policy. How is it that in the third decade of the 21st Century, Michigan, the Great Lakes State, is the only state of 50 without a statewide code setting minimum standards for the design, construction, and… septic-code-reform/" title="ReadMichigan: First in Fresh Water, Last in Septic Regulation”>Read more »
