Scott Brown

To: Members of the Michigan Senate and House of Representatives

From: Michigan Waterfront Alliance and Lake Awareness Day Partners 

RE: Donation Option on Watercraft Registrations 

Due to the ever-increasing ecological threat and economic disruption that Aquatic Invasive Species are having on our Michigan inland waterways, Michigan Waterfront Alliance and our Lake Awareness Day Partners Propose the following:

1. Fund Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Prevention and Control on Michigan’s inland waterways with a Donation Option on Watercraft Registrations. No specific donation amount would be suggested, and each volunteer donor would receive a decal acknowledging their donation along with their watercraft registration decal.

2. The MI Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) would create an AIS Prevention and Control Fund Advisory Committee modeled after the office that is responsible for dispersing funds generated by the “Protecting Our Waters” specialty license plate program. This AIS Prevention and Control Fund Advisory Committee would be responsible for making decisions regarding the allocation and dispersal of funds generated by the watercraft registration donation option program.

3. We must ensure the existence of language within the proposed legislation that will serve to ensure that the revenue generated by the Watercraft Registration Donation Option program is “protected” and therefore “restricted” for use only to fund Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention and Control program related functions and activities.

Legislation Draft of:

Fund AIS Prevention and Remediation on Michigan’s inland waterways with a Donation Option on Watercraft Registrations. Funds collected by the Watercraft Registration Donation Option program for AIS Prevention and Control on Michigan’s public waterways by the Michigan Secretary of State will go directly to the state treasurer who shall credit donated funds to an account(s) established by the AIS Prevention and Control Fund Advisory Committee.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) shall establish an AIS Prevention and Control Fund Advisory Committee whose primary responsibility will be to advise EGLE on the watercraft registration Donor Option program. The Donor Option program shall be primarily dedicated to providing grants to local units of government, inland lake, river, and stream associations and other non-governmental organizations for the sole purpose of Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention and Control. The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy may promulgate rules to implement this grant program under the auspices of the Administrative Procedures Act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201 to 24.328.

1. The AIS Prevention and Control Fund is created within the Michigan state treasury. The state treasurer may receive money or other assets from any source for deposit into the fund. The state treasurer shall direct the investment of the fund. The state treasurer shall credit to the fund interest and earnings from fund investments. Money in the fund at the close of the fiscal year shall remain in the fund and shall not lapse into the general fund. Money from the fund shall be expended, upon appropriation, solely for the purpose of AIS Prevention and Control on Michigan’s waterway.
2. For the purpose of this chapter, “local units of government” shall be defined as any of the following:

• A county, city, village or township
• An agency of a county, city, village or township
• The office of a county drain commissioner
• A soil conservation district established under Part 93 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act of 1994, PA 451 – MCL 324.9301 to 324.9313.
• A watershed council established under Part 311 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act of 1994, PA 451 – MCL 324.31101 to 324.31119.
• A local health department as that term is defined in Section 1105 of Public Health Code, 1978, PA368 – MCL 333.1105.
• A community college or junior college established pursuant to Section 7 of Article VIII of the state constitution of 1963.
• A 4-year institution of higher education, public or private, located within the State of Michigan.

3.For purposes of this chapter, “lake, river, or stream association” shall be defined according the

following criteria:

Any State of Michigan currently incorporated inland lake, river or stream organization.

4.For the purpose of this chapter, “non-government organization” shall be defined by the

Michigan Department of Environment (EGLE).

For further information please contact:

Bob Frye – Michigan Waterfront Alliance – 517 403 3947 – email roberttfrye@gmail.com

Matt Kurta – Karoub Associates – 517 482 5000 – email mkurta@karoub.com

Madeline Fata – Karoub Associates – 517 763 6521 – email mfata@karoub.com

by Scott Brown

MWA e-Newsletter Editor

Responding to the sad fact that Michigan remains the only state within the United States of America that has not yet enacted a common sense statewide septic system code, the Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners recently voted to help protect public health and extraordinarily valuable freshwater ecosystems by unanimously passing a countywide septic ordinance. Defined by 132 miles of Great Lakes coastal shoreline, 146 named inland lakes, many more unnamed lakes, and two major rivers, a recently published story regarding the rare action by For Love of Water Advocates aptly describes passage of the ordinance as Grant Traverse County “positioning itself as a leader in safeguarding public health and freshwater resources in the absence of a statewide septic code.”

The recently enacted Grant Traverse County ordinance indicates that beginning on January 1, 2026, any property with a septic system that is located within 300 feet of any above-ground body of freshwater such as lakes, ponds, streams, or rivers–must be evaluated before it can be sold or transferred. Passage of the ordinance came in response to the fact that Grand Traverse County commissioners as well as officials from the county health department recognized that a properly functioning septic system is essential to preventing pathogens as well as harmful nutrients and chemical pollution from entering freshwater ecosystems and groundwater aquifers.

The action taken by Grand Traverse County to help protect human health and economically valuable freshwater ecosystems is particularly noteworthy due to the fact that only 13% of counties in Michigan have enacted local regulations that require septic systems to be evaluated. It is also important to note that hundreds of thousands of failing septic systems in Michigan continue to be a major source of e-coli and human fecal bacteria laden raw sewage that contaminates our ground water, and renders the waters of many our lakes, rivers, and streams unfit for total contact water sports such as swimming or snorkeling.

The steadily escalating environmental and public health associated problem in Michigan is derived from that fact that approximately 20%, or 280,000, of the 1.4 million septic systems that were constructed during the residential building boom of the 1950’s and 1960’s throughout Michigan are now failing. The overall significance of on-going problem has also been exacerbated by the fact that many Michigan homes and their now severely antiquated and often dysfunctional septic systems were built prior to the construction of sewer systems that now serve even the smallest of towns and villages.

Septic systems, otherwise known as on-site waste water disposal systems, are designed and installed in order to manage and treat the waste generated by toilets before it reaches ground water. In a properly designed septic system, the septic tank serves to remove larger solids from wastewater. Wastewater that flows out of the septic tank is saturated with contaminants that must be removed before the water can safely be combined with surface and/or groundwater. Public health issues stem from the fact that septic tank effluent contains large concentrations of toxic micro-organisms that are capable of making people sick. Moreover, the organic matter present in wastewater effluent creates bad odors, and contains algae growth stimulating nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) that can have a negative impact on the aquatic ecosystems of our inland lakes, rivers, and streams. Properly designed septic systems include a disposal field comprised of a mixture of sand, silt, and clay that are often referred to as loamy soils that act to successfully treat bacterial and inorganic compounds. Phosphorus that is produced within the household that passes through the septic tank is also captured within a properly designed disposal field’s soil.

On-site waste water disposal systems continue to be installed in support of residential and commercial development that occurs in rural settings where sanitary sewer systems are not available. According to Michigan State University Extension, when an on-site waste water disposal system is correctly located, properly designed, carefully installed, regularly inspected, and properly maintained, they serve as effective waste disposal systems that are economical and that do not pose a threat to public health or to the fragile ecosystems of surrounding streams, rivers, and lakes.

The gravity of the situation in Michigan is also effectively illustrated by the fact that the results of a 2015 study conducted by Michigan State University researchers on sixty-four Michigan rivers revealed that concentrations of e-coli that were higher than U. S. Environmental Protection Agency permitted water quality standards. The significance of the issue is also amplified by the fact that the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lake, and Energy (EGLE) reports that approximately one half of Michigan’s thousands of miles of rivers and streams suffer from concentrations of toxic e-coli that exceed minimum water quality standards.

Created by the glaciers that gradually receded from North America’s Great Lakes region more than ten thousand years ago, inland lakes grace Michigan’s unique landscape like sparkling jewels. Thousands of inland lakes of all shapes, sizes, and depths play a distinctive role in making Michigan a beautiful place to live, work, and engage in water-borne recreational activities. In addition to enhancing the natural beauty of our freshwater-centric state, inland lakes contribute an extraordinarily valuable array of economic benefits to Michigan by:

• providing high quality recreational opportunities for millions of our fellow citizens and visitors to our magnificent state
• enabling lucrative inland lake dependent business opportunities for thousands of entrepreneurs
• supporting premium lakefront living lifestyles and enhanced riparian property values that benefit hundreds of local communities and public schools
• enhancing the aesthetic appeal and therefore the economic viability of near-by villages, towns, and urban areas

Moreover, by enabling popular water-borne recreational activities such as boating, fishing, and waterfowl hunting, our inland lakes play a vital role in helping to promote and sustain market driven economic expansion by stimulating the demand for new lakefront and/or near shore businesses as well by contributing to the prosperity and growth of nearby communities. Generating tens of billions of dollars in annual economic activity, our natural treasure of thousands of high-quality inland lakes are vital economic engines that will ultimately play an important role in helping to create and sustain the robust “blue” economy that will help ensure a productive and prosperous future for coming generations of Michigan’s citizens.

For the third consecutive year, a collaborative partnership planned and implemented Lake Appreciation Day was dedicated to helping educate officials from Michigan’s Governor’s office, State Senate, and House of Representatives in regards to the immense ecological and economic value of our inland lakes and their vital role in contributing to Michigan’s ‘blue’ economy and culture. The need for the Governor’s office and the state legislature to begin working together to enact state laws intended to protect the long-term ecological viability of our inland lakes while at the same time significantly increasing public investment in statewide programs implemented to help preserve and protect their increasingly vulnerable aquatic ecosystems is emphasized to those in attendance. It is also important to note that those in attendance at the late morning, early afternoon event enjoyed a catered lunch.

Participants in the Wednesday, May 21^st 2025 Lake Awareness Day that was held at the corporate offices of Karoub Associates located near the state capitol building in downtown Lansing included Senators, Representatives, and/or staff members representing Michigan’s state legislature, state natural resource and environmental protection agencies, inland lake conservation focused non-profit organizations, and lake management focused commercial businesses that each hold a vested interest in preserving and protecting Michigan’s vast treasure of inland lakes. Participants in the 2025 Lake Appreciation Day program included:

• Michigan State Senators and/or their respective staff
• Michigan State Representativesand/or their respective staff
• Michigan Department of Natural Resourcesmanagers and/or staff
• Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energymanagers and/or staff
• Karoub Associates
• Michigan Waterfront Alliance
• Michigan Aquatic Managers Association
• Midwest Aquatic Plant Management Society
• Restorative Lake Sciences
• Michigan Boating Industry Association
• Michigan Chapter, North American Lake Management Society
• Michigan Environmental Council
• Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council

2025 Lake Appreciation Day event planners are committed to a plethora of scientific evidence that strongly suggests that the long-term capacity of many of Michigan’s extraordinary inland lakes to continue making vital contributions to our economy and culture are contingent upon the capacity of state government to enact state laws focused upon:

• Protecting both the short and long-term ecological health of our inland lakes and wetlands;
• Establishing and administering a statewide septic system code;
• Increase funding to establish and expand MDNR and EGLE programs dedicated to inland lake stewardship, restoration, and aquatic invasive species prevention and management;
• Establishing and administering alternative sustainable means of increasing funding for inland lake conservation and aquatic invasive species prevention and management efforts;
• Educating riparians and near shore businesses with regard to the need to implement inland lake Best Management Practices and encourage their pro-active involvement in inland lake restoration projects.

by Scott Brown

MWA e-Newsletter Editor

The Michigan Board of Directors recently voted to pro-actively oppose legislation introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives that if passed into law would allow extraordinary amounts of livestock manure, urine, blood, and blood stained water generated by Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and slaughter houses throughout the state to be spread unimpeded on millions of acres of Michigan farm land and therefore indirectly into the vital freshwaters of our lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands.

Recently introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives, if passed into law, House Bill 4257 and House Bill 4265 would act to effectively deregulate the high volume of hazardous waste that is generated annually by Michigan’s large scale livestock feeding and slaughterhouse operations. Under current Michigan law the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Environment (EGLE) strictly regulates the high volumes of toxic waste that is generated by concentrated animal feeding operations and livestock slaughter houses under Part 31 (Water Resources Protection) of the Michigan Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (MI NREPA).

It is important to note that Michigan CAFOs are responsible for creating 4 billion gallons of untreated urine and feces and 40 million to 60 million tons of solid manure each year that subsequently gets spread on 600,000 acres as water polluting, algae growth stimulating fertilizer – a harsh fact that if often repeated by those involved in protecting Michigan’s extraordinarily valuable freshwater resources, and as a blunt argument in support of the ultimate defeat of MI House Bills 4257 and 4265.

Our readers should know that livestock manure contains toxic levels of nitrates, phosphorus, and harmful E. coli bacteria that has contaminated surface and groundwater resources across Michigan. The heaviest concentrations of CAFO generated livestock manure is generated in areas of the state hosting large industrialized livestock and poultry operations. Discharges from Michigan CAFOs, for example, are known to contribute to high volume concentrations of phosphorus-laden pollution that causes widespread toxic algal blooms each summer in Lake Erie.

Michigan Waterfront Alliance believes that each of the Bills violates both Michigan and federal law, including a fairly recent Michigan Supreme Court opinion that MI EGLE is within its regulatory authority to regulate the high volume of toxic waste that is created each year in large scale livestock feeding operations and livestock slaughter houses. Michigan Waterfront Alliance also believes that passage of the misguided legislation would endanger Michigan’s delegated authority under the federal Clean Water Act to administer its own National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) permitting program.

It is important to note that Michigan Waterfront Alliance is joined by several other well known state environmental protection focused organizations including the Michigan Environmental Council and Michigan Lakes and Streams Association in pro-actively opposing the irresponsible legislation.