Kelly Thayer is Deputy Director of FLOW ("For Love of Water"). Founded in 2011, FLOW is a nonprofit that seeks to ensure that the waters of the Great Lakes Basin are healthy, public and protected for all.
Groundwater is an "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" resource. Michigan has several issues with groundwater:
- Michigan is the only state without a uniform septic code, with at least 130,000 leaking septic tanks..
- 3,000 groundwater sites are permanently condemned; state law bans further use.
- 6,000 orphan contamination sites lack funding for cleanup.
- Contaminated groundwater is flowing into lakes and streams in at least 1,100 locations.
FLOW and its allies are seeking to address Michigan's pressing water needs equitably, but Michigan faces a water infrastructure funding gap of around $800 million per year to properly manage wastewater, drinking water and stormwater. Water is a human right even more vital during COVID-19 and climate change.
FLOW is also involved in the battle over Enbridge Line 5, which crosses the Straits of Mackinaw as it transports petroleum products from Wisconsin to Ontario. In 2020 the State revoked and terminated Enbridge's 1953 easement. The State relied on the public trust doctrine, arguing that the Great Lakes waters and bottomlands belong to the public and that Line 5 presents an imminent risk of catastrophic harm. Enbridge refused to shut down the line, instead filing a federal court action attacking state sovereignty in the Great Lakes. In addition Enbridge has proposed to put in a tunnel 21-feet in diameter to house a new Line 5 pipeline.
FLOW and its experts assert that the proposed tunnel presents an unacceptable risk of catastrophic harm to the Great Lakes health, waters, economy and environment. Anyone interested in the subject is urged to attend a FLOW webinar on July 28 at 11:00 a.m., with registration available on the FLOW website. Kelly's PowerPoint presentation is available here.