Drinking water

Controversy continues over a sand and gravel mining operation in Ann Arbor Township. What is referred to as the "Vella Pit" had been accused of making some water wells run dry and polluting local waterways. It's been back up and running for a while now. Operators say it's safe, but some residents report increased sediment in their well water and want the operation halted. WEMU's David Fair talked with Ann Arbor Township resident and activist Amy Olszewski about the current situation and where it’s headed.

Ann Arbor is looking at something "blue" to expand its protection of drinking and other water sources. The new Bluebelt program will work in concert with the Greenbelt land preservation program to expand water protections. WEMU's David Fair was joined by City of Ann Arbor Land Acquisition Specialist, Rosie Pahl Donaldson, to discuss the goals of the program.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is accelerating its plans to help communities such as Ypsilanti replace many of their water service lines. WEMU’s Ana Longoria reports.

Early this morning, the Michigan Legislature approved a roughly $80 billion budget for the fiscal year. State Senator Jeff Irwin is chair of the Appropriations Committee for the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. The Ann Arbor Democrat joined WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director Lisa Wozniak to provide a snapshot of the environmental implications of the budget.

Officials in Saline have figured out what happened that caused a major water well pump to fail. They say repairs should be completed by the end of next week. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert has this report.

The City of Saline says it will likely be the end of the week before it knows what happened to a major water well and how long it will take to be repaired. In the meantime, the request to stop all non-essential water use continues. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.

It would be a great relief to be independent of worry about oil spills that could contaminate the Great Lakes. But those worries exist among environmentalists and many in our Great Lakes state. Enbridge Energy is moving forward with plans to build a tunnel around its Line 5 pipeline that runs through the Straits of Mackinac. The new director of the University of Michigan Water Center is Dr. Mike Shriberg. He joined WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director, Lisa Wozniak, to discuss the implications.

One of the main goals of the draft Comprehensive Use Plan is to spur economic and residential growth in Ann Arbor. But such growth could bring infrastructure problems. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.

There are a good number of private septic systems in Washtenaw County. Assessments show that nearly half of those systems have exceeded their expected lifespans and could fail in the near future. That would not only threaten the ecosystems of local waterways but also put public health in jeopardy. The Huron River Watershed Council is advocating that the private septic systems be replaced with centralized water treatment systems. WEMU's David Fair talked with the council’s Ric Lawson about what it would take to make that change.

The next proposed budget will be presented to the Ann Arbor City Council by the administration tonight. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.