The MML Review March-April 2022

By Grace A. Carey, PhD

M ichigan 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of underfunding and disinvestment in municipalities and the unique challenges they face to maintain and modernize outdated infrastructure. 1

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.

1 ASCE 2018 Report Card for Michigan’s Infrastructure https://infrastructurereportcard.org/wp-content/ uploads/2021/07/FullReport-MI_2018-FINAL-1.pdf

2 MI Senate Bill 565 http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?2021-SB-0565

16 THE REVIEW

MARCH / APRIL 2022