MI Water Navigator: Water Infrastructure Helpdesk

By Grace A. Carey, PhD

Michigan is steward to 21 percent of the earth’s fresh surface water, and yet the collective state of our water infrastructure is in desperate need of repair. According to the most recent report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers: Michigan Section, Michigan’s infrastructure receives an overall grade of D+, with water infrastructures coming in with some of the lowest grades across the board.1 Municipal leaders have an incredible responsibility to provide high quality services and act as caretakers of our natural resources. This requires tools and resources be available at the local level to strategically invest in our water systems. 

The past few years have highlighted the challenges facing our water infrastructure. We have seen the impact of high water levels, situations like the Flint and Benton Harbor water crises, and the dam failures in Midland. These situations, and many others, have brought to light the compounding impact of underfunding and disinvestment in municipalities and the unique challenges they face to maintain and modernize outdated infrastructure.

A Call for Funding

The Michigan Municipal League, as part of the Coalition for a Strong and Prosperous Michigan, has been urging the state to allocate significant funding to water infrastructure through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP). Fortunately, it appears that this call is being heard. On December 3, 2021, the Michigan Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 565 which would allocate $3.3 billion in federal ARP funds, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act dollars (IIJA), and state general fund resources to repairing water infrastructure statewide.2 The bill still must pass the House, but it is a promising start that suggests we are headed in the right direction towards an investment in the health and safety or our communities and the residents they serve.

The American Rescue Plan represents a unique opportunity to repair and replace aging water infrastructure, resolve public health problems, reduce environmental contamination, and provide current and future generations with resilient and sustainable systems. These funds could leverage local resources to amplify the impact of capital improvements, replace lead service lines, improve planning at the local level, and address issues of sustainability and resiliency related to water.

“Municipal leaders have an incredible responsibility to provide high quality services and act as caretakers of our natural resources. This requires tools and resources be available at the local level to strategically invest in our water systems.”

MI Water Navigator Initiative

At the MML Foundation, we’ve found through conversations with League members that there is a need to help Michigan municipalities and water utilities navigate the breadth of pre-existing state and federal funding sources for repairing water infrastructure alongside the nuances of potential incoming ARP and IIJA funding. Through a partnership with the MML and the MI Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) we have begun developing the MI Water Navigator Helpdesk, which will be focused on connecting municipalities and utilities with state and federal funding sources to repair drinking water systems statewide. “This [Helpdesk] will help connect communities with the funding they need to improve and maintain systems that ensure safe, affordable water for all regardless of income, race, or geography,” said Liesl Clark, EGLE director. With renewed state and federal commitments to funding drinking water infrastructure, this is an invaluable tool in helping navigate the bureaucracy and putting dollars to work for the Great Lakes state.” This initiative is generously supported by the Charles S. Mott and Joyce Foundations.

Technical Assistance

The aim of the MI Water Navigator Helpdesk is to have a team of experts that offers technical assistance and support to municipalities and utilities. During an initial Zoom meeting, a rapid needs assessment will be conducted to understand the context of each utility, analyze the particular needs, and determine which state and federal funds are applicable or offer the best course of action. The MI Water Navigator will also feature free toolkits and webinars that will explain and walk-through various application processes for funding sources like the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), USDA Rural Utilities Service Water and Environmental Programs (WEP), and ARP and MI Clean Water Plan applications that are soon to arise. The MI Water Navigator will further provide free technical assistance for disadvantaged communities to help with the DWSRF application from start to finish, to be determined on a case-by-case basis. “Every family in every community deserves access to safe drinking water,” said Governor Whitmer regarding the MI Water Navigator Helpdesk. 

“Thanks to this powerful toolkit, communities will be able to access funding to invest in critical water infrastructure and ensure that every parent can give their kid a glass of water with confidence, knowing that it is safe. We will continue expanding on our efforts to build up drinking water infrastructure, replace lead service lines, and create good-paying jobs by putting Michiganders first and working with key partners including the Michigan Municipal League to get the job done.”

“The past few years have highlighted the challenges facing our water infrastructure… the compounding impact of underfunding and disinvestment in municipalities and the unique challenges they face to maintain and modernize outdated infrastructure.” 

Bootcamp

Helping our Michigan communities achieve safe, affordable, and clean drinking water is a top priority. It is our hope that the MI Water Navigator Helpdesk will help municipalities and utilities through their journey to improved drinking water infrastructure. The MI Water Navigator Helpdesk will be officially unveiled in March at the 2022 MML Capital Conference. We will be holding a mini-bootcamp/workshop where our technical assistance team will be on-site to provide rapid one-on-one advising sessions, experts from EGLE and the Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) will give informational sessions on DWSRF, and an interactive workshop will be held to foster collaborative thinking across water systems to best leverage incoming funding.

Grace A. Carey, PhD, Program Officer, Michigan Municipal League Foundation, 734.669.6331 | gcarey@mml.org

View full March/April issue of The Review

The Review is the official magazine of the Michigan Municipal League. It serves as a medium of exchange of ideas and information for the officials of Michigan cities and villages. The views expressed and the data presented by contributors and advertisers are not to be construed as having the endorsement of the officers, staff or membership of the League. The Review is published bimonthly.

The Review has been published continuously, at least six times-a-year, since 1928. It is mailed to over 10,000 elected and key appointed officials in Michigan cities and villages and pass-along readership is over 40,000.