The farthest you can get from a stream, lake, river or pond in Michigan is six miles. Water is the fundamental defining characteristic of our state. The Great Lakes alone represent the largest system of fresh surface water on Earth, containing roughly 18% of the world supply. Michigan citizens have an obligation to manage this resource with the utmost care. Once again this year, lawmakers are considering revisions to the state's primary water management law, the Michigan Drain Code.

Originally designed to speed settlement in Michigan, Michigan drain laws tailored in the late 1800s and early 1900s gave county drain commissioners broad taxing and spending authority to provide wholesale swamp drainage. As a settlement and development statute, the Drain Code has succeeded. Michigan develops land at a pace that exceeds population growth by eight times. Fifty percent of the state's wetlands have been lost-including 70% of our coastal wetlands. New drains today are more likely to accommodate sprawling development than agriculture.

Times have changed dramatically since even the last update of Michigan's drainage laws in 1956. Our understanding of the importance of our water resources, including wetlands, has deepened significantly, and we now have broad public consensus on the need to manage water on a regional or watershed basis. We know now that land development results in water table, sewage and stormwater impacts that burden our already insufficient public infrastructure. We know that "green infrastructure" is a proven alternative to constructed drains and water treatment facilities. We know that our state's economy depends as much on a strong tourist industry as housing starts and that a failing environment hurts us all.

MEC is supporting revisions to the Drain Code that reflect the academic research and practical experience of the last 50 years. Our obligation in the 21st Century is to forge a law that melds both economic development and environmental protection allowing us to live up to our obligation as the primary stewards of the United States' drinking water.

• We need a new Michigan water management law that:
  Acknowledges the essential nature of public involvement in water decision making.
  
• Encourages regional approaches to water management.
  
• Protects the environment.
  
• Integrates water management and growth management.
  
• Prioritizes smart investments that balance economic and environmental sustainability.

Sen. Jerry VanWoerkom (R-Muskegon), Chair of the Senate Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism Committee, has been holding hearings on Senate Bill 217, a version of Drain Code revisions that passed the House in 1999.

You can read MEC's analysis of the current law's deficiencies on our web site at www.mecprotects.org/DrainCode.pdf.