Groundwater Permits on Public Notice

All permits proposed for issuance are subject to a 30-day public notice period. This gives the public the opportunity to comment on the proposed discharge and inform EGLE of any relevant groundwater concerns. If EGLE determines that there are relevant, unresolved groundwater concerns, the Department may choose to also hold a public meeting or public hearing.

The Water Resources Division is announcing a change in the public notice process for wastewater discharge permits issued pursuant to Part 31 of Act 451.   These permits are commonly referred to as NPDES, Stormwater, and Groundwater permits.  Public notice requirements for draft permits are identified in Rule 323.2117, and provide for three options, which include posting the draft permit in a post office or other public building near the wastewater discharge, posting the draft permit at the entrance of the applicant's premises, or publishing notice in a local newspaper.  The Water Resources Division has historically relied on publishing notice in a local newspaper.  However, this practice has been found to have limited success in reaching the public.  The Water Resources Division has found that use of electronic means, such as publishing notice on the EGLE website, has been more effective.  In light of this, and the ability to conserve fiscal resources, the Water Resources Division is changing the required public notice process to use options other than publishing notice in a local newspaper as a first preference.  The Water Resources Division will continue to work to effectively involve the public in this process, and will track the public participation process to ensure there is no decrease in public participation over time as a result of this change.

Any interested party can be placed on the public notice list for a specific facility. Individuals on the public notice list will receive notification by the Department via e-mail. To be placed on a public notice list, contact:

Kristie Hall, Secretary
517-290-9607
HallK34@Michigan.gov

Permits and supporting documents placed on public notice are available via MiEnviro.  This will include new and proposed reissuances of groundwater discharge permits.

Permits currently on public notice (and supporting documents) are available in .pdf format. The draft permit and public notice document are available for each facility. An antidegradation demonstration is available for facilities which propose a new or increased groundwater discharge which is within a thousand feet or less of a surface water as required by Rule 323.1098. The public notice document and Table 1 contains the name of the permit processor, who may be contacted if comments wish to be submitted or further information is needed.

Comments or objections to the draft permit received by the response date, indicated on the public notice, will be considered in the final decision to issue the permit. Persons desiring information regarding the draft permit, and procedures for commenting, or requesting a hearing should contact the individual listed on public notice.

Electronic comments may be submitted to the permit processor by clicking on the permit processor's name. Phone numbers can be found on the Groundwater Permits Staff webpage. Written comments should be mailed to:

Lansing Central Office, WRD, EGLE
Permits Section
P.O. Box 30458
Lansing, Michigan 48909-7958

Persons desiring additional information regarding public involvement opportunities within the EGLE should download a copy of the EGLE Public Involvement Handbook.