Wastewater and Groundwater Permit Issuance and Oversight, Water Resources Division - 761-0180-25
Description of Agency
The Water Resources Division (WRD) protects and monitors Michigan’s waters by establishing water quality standards and issuing permits. Its mission is to “Make Michigan’s waters safe and clean for recreation, fishing, drinking, and healthy aquatic ecosystems.”
WRD’s Water Quality Unit issues and oversees permits imposing limitations to control the discharge of pollutants into Michigan waters. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program controls the discharge of pollutants into surface waters by imposing limitations to protect water quality. Although NPDES is a federal program, Michigan has been granted the authority to implement the program. WRD’s Municipal Permits Unit regulates discharges from publicly owned treatment works while the Industrial Permits Unit limits pollution from industrial discharges to publicly owned wastewater treatment facilities. WRD’s Groundwater Permits Unit regulates the discharge of treated wastewater to ground or groundwaters of the State. WRD staff conduct periodic inspections and review required reports to ensure permit requirements continue to protect water quality.
WRD was appropriated $84 million and issued approximately 8,000 permits in fiscal year 2024.
Audit Objectives
- To assess the effectiveness of WRD’s efforts to process selected permit applications.
- To assess the sufficiency of WRD’s efforts to monitor selected permits.
Timing
Estimated Release Date: Early 2026
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