Members - Contact your State leaders NOW!

The State House and Senate have been unable to reach a compromise on legislation regulating ground water withdrawals in the State of Michigan. In the words of MCTU Director Dr. Bryan Burroughs, "Cold water fisheries are our highest quality rivers and streams and are part of the unique fabric of Michigan, its quality of life and the economic backbone of many small Michigan communities."  The goal of any such legislation should be to conserve and protect Michigan's cold water resources for future generations of anglers and non-anglers.  The modified Senate legislation (SB 860 Substitute (S-3))does not do that. Urge your State representatives to pass the modified House Bill (HB5069 Substitute (H-3)).

The Senate Bill still allows unacceptable reductions in fishery abundance for cold water streams and small rivers and transitional streams. MCTU and PHY insisted on 0% reductions in fish abundance for cold water streams. 

Under the Senate Bill ground water withdrawals will be allowed to eliminate up to 5% of the amount of fish in a cold water stream and up to 3% of the fish in a cold small river.  On the other hand, the House Bill will keep the levels at less than 1% reduction in the amount of fish for cold streams and cold small rivers.  Both the House and Senate legislation allow up to 5% of the fish abundance in marginal trout streams to be reduced.  Note that the 1% reduction level will allow 15-22% of the water in a cold water stream to be removed during summer low flow periods.  The 5% level will allow up to 25% of the water in a cold water stream to be removed during those periods.

The Senate Bill does not include the public in the water withdrawal process.  As you know, public involvement provides a valuable check to the influence of commercial interests on the government - commercial interests such as bottlers who want their water right away.  Unlike many resource protection laws, however, the public has been cut out of the process by the Senate and replaced by an untested computer model ("assessment tool") that is used to determine if a ground water withdrawal would adversely affect fish populations in a stream.  There is no phase-in process for that assessment tool. Without  a phase-in process, the need for public input is even greater. 

In addition, the Senate has refused to recognize in its Bill that our ground water - the very resource that makes Michigan what it is and which supports cold water fisheries - is held by the government FOR THE PEOPLE.  This fundamental concept has even been applied by the US Supreme Court to the Great Lakes but the Senate is unwilling to recognize that it applies to our ground water as well. 

It's time for us to send a message to Lansing - we are not going to allow commercial interests to damage our resources for their profit. 

Write, email or call your State officials today and express your support for the House's ground water withdrawal bill and that you oppose the Senate's Bill. 

Go to this website link to find who your Representative is and to contact him/her:  http://house.michigan.gov/find_a_rep.asp

Go to this website link to find who your Senator is and to contact him/her:  http://senate.michigan.gov/SenatorInfo/find-your-senator.htm

You can contact the Governor at this address:

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
P.O. Box 30013
Lansing, MI 48909
Phone: (517) 373-3400
Email:  http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-21995-65331--,00.html