Public Act 35 of 2006 required each water use sector to
begin designing guidelines for generally accepted water management practices or
environmentally sound and economically feasible water conservation measures
within 12 months after the effective date of the Act. The business sectors met
this requirement on February 28, 2007 (see Appendix A). Within 24 months after
the effective date of the Act (on or before February 28, 2008), the Michigan
Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) must review and report to the
appropriate standing committees of the Michigan Legislature on whether there are
reasonably detailed criteria for assisting facilities in determining whether
water is being used in an efficient manner. The Act allows for established
statewide professional or trade associations representing a sector to adopt such
guidelines as a means of showing compliance with the provisions of the Act.
In light of the Act’s authorization of professional or trade
associations to adopt such guidelines as a means of compliance, the Michigan
Chamber of Commerce (Chamber) has worked with industry representatives to
develop a general model guideline, which can be utilized by industrial and
commercial businesses in Michigan. In addition, members from the Electric
Utility, Chemical Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Research, Pulp
and Paper, and the Beverage Industry sectors developed sector-specific model
guidelines that can be used by water users in those sectors. These five sectors
represent over 80% of water withdrawals in 2004 according to data available on
the MDEQ’s “Water Use Program” website. As the program matures, additional
business sectors may choose to develop sector-specific model guidelines. This
collaborative approach to developing voluntary conservation guidelines on a
sector-by-sector basis meets the intentions of Public Act 35 of 2006. By
involving a variety of sectors in the discussion, the Chamber has facilitated
the sharing of information and experience for the mutual benefit of all of the
participants in the discussion.
