Six million people in Michigan get their drinking water from one of the Great Lakes. Four million people in Michigan get their drinking water from groundwater from municipal or private wells. You can learn about the source of your drinking water at MiDrinkingWater.org.

The quality of both groundwater and surface water is strongly influenced by how well we take care of the land above or upstream from our sources of drinking water. Michigan has 20 million acres of forest, with 38 percent manage by the state or federal government and 62 percent managed by families and corporations. Forests cover more than half of Michigan’s land (56%), so their permanent vegetation and undisturbed soils are essential for protecting our drinking water. We need to protect forests, manage forests well and plant more trees near water in both urban and rural places.

Forest to Mi Faucet is a project led by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to explain connections between forests and drinking water for 10 million Michiganders. Twenty conservation partners working on Forest to Mi Faucet are planting 60,000 trees along rivers and lakes, protecting important forests with conservation easements, educating landowners about forest stewardship, and helping a dozen municipal water utilities protect the sources of their drinking water. More information about project partners and how you can protect forests and water is at Michigan.gov/ForestToMiFaucet.

Drinking Water Week is a great time to celebrate Michigan’s forests and how they protect the Great Lakes and other sources of your drinking water. The DNR and its partners on Forest to Mi Faucet would like to share a few things you can do to protect water quality, whether you live in a city, own a small woodlot or big forest.

If you live in a city

• Buy less stuff you don’t need and recycle everything possible.
• Grow food in a community garden.
• Become a Clean Water Ambassador with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
• Pick up and properly dispose of pet poop; it can pollute water.
• Ask your city public works department to plant trees on your block.
• Read your city water utility’s “source water protection plan.”
• Install rain gardens along parking lots and streets to reduce stormwater.
• Use less salt on icy sidewalks and streets.

If you live in a suburban or rural area

• Buy less stuff you don’t need and recycle everything possible.
• Grow food in your own garden.
• Become a Clean Water Ambassador with EGLE.
• Replace some of your lawn with native wildflowers.
• Plant trees and shrubs, especially near lakes and streams.
• Be “Septic Smart” and maintain your septic system every 3 to 5 years.
• Test the water quality in your home well every 5 years with local health department.
• Volunteer with your local watershed council.

If you own a small woodlot (1 to 24 acres)

• Read “Backyard Woodland” by Josh VanBrakle and other cool books about small forests.
• Learn to identify the native trees and shrubs in your woods.
• Prevent or minimize the spread of invasive species.
• Buy trees at a conservation district tree sale and brag about planting trees on Mi Trees.
• Don’t cut down too many trees near water to protect fish habitat and water quality.
• Plant natural shorelines along rivers and lakes instead of using rock riprap.
• Use prescribed fire for ecological restoration of prairies and other rare plant communities.
• Attend forest education events hosted by your local conservation district forester.
• Join Michigan Forest Association to learn more about your woods.

If you own a larger forest (25 to 2,500 acres)

• Prevent or minimize the spread of invasive species.
• Buy thousands of trees from one of Michigan’s 20 wholesale seedling nurseries.
• Develop a conservation easement with a local land trust.
• Hire forester to develop a forest management plan.
• Certify your great management with American Tree Farm System.
• Visit a local conservation district to learn about forestry programs. Go to MACD.org
• Attend forest education events hosted by your local conservation district forester.
• Hire certified Michigan Master Loggers if doing a timber harvest.
• Use forestry best management practices to protect soil and water.
• Join Michigan Forest Association to learn more about your woods.

Forests cover over half of Michigan and deliver clean water to our rivers, inland lakes and the Great Lakes. Forests have permanent vegetation that slows water falling from the sky and moving along the ground. Forests have undisturbed soil and a layer of leaves on top that reduce runoff, limit erosion and filter pollutants. Forests have minimal infrastructure or impermeable surfaces like parking lots and rooftops that transport pollution into water. Chemical spills that might contaminate water quality are infrequent and small in forests. Forests absorb lots of water quickly and release it slowly to reduce flooding in heavy rain events.

Learn more

Contact Mike Smalligan at SmalliganM@Michigan.gov or 517-449-5666 with any questions about Forest to Mi Faucet.