EGLE Clean Water Public Advocate Releases Annual Accountability Report

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) today announced that its Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate has published the 2020 Annual Accountability Report.

The 21-page report highlights the efforts of the Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate as well as collective efforts between state agencies to improve drinking water quality in Michigan.

"I am happy to utilize this role to elevate the voices of all Michiganders who have been impacted by drinking water issues and highlight how their stories have helped inform our work in this report," said Ninah Sasy, EGLE’s Clean Water Public Advocate.

The report recaps the Clean Water Public Advocate’s 2020 priorities and accomplishments and outlines next steps in 2021. The report also contains special sections on the launch of the Clean Water Ambassadors Initiative and the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate was created through Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Order 2019-06. The Office operates as a type 1 agency within the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, while having a connection to the Governor’s Office to elevate concerns. The Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate ensures that drinking water concerns are investigated and that trends are analyzed. Based on trend analysis, recommendations to laws, rules, regulations and procedures will be made to ensure that community concerns are addressed. The Office also connects resources at the state and local levels and acts as an interface between state, local and private sector stakeholders to ensure that Michigan is more responsive to drinking water quality concerns.

The Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate works closely with EGLE’s Drinking Water and Environmental Health Division and many other agencies, including the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Division of Environmental Health, to address water quality concerns. The partnership with local municipal water suppliers and local health departments also ensures that all parties work together to address water quality concerns received from Michigan residents.