Michigan Groundwater Conference
Agenda
Webinar instructions will be emailed before the date of the webinar.
Please log into the webinar 15 – 30 minutes before the start time.
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
8:30 am – 4:00 pm EST
Michigan Groundwater Hydrology
Presented by: David P. Lusch, Ph.D.
- The hydrologic cycle
- Precipitation and infiltration – how groundwater is made
- Groundwater aquifer types, properties and extents in Michigan
- Groundwater flow
- Trends in groundwater levels
- Relationship between groundwater and surface water
- Impact of groundwater withdrawals on streamflow
Groundwater Use
Presented by: David P. Lusch, Ph.D.
- Water use in Michigan by source and sector
- High-capacity groundwater wells
- Public water supply wells
- Irrigation wells (agricultural and golf courses)
- Industrial wells
- Residential wells
- Proliferation of wells
- Groundwater mapping
- Cumulative effect of groundwater pumping
- Shallow groundwater salinization in southern Michigan
Michigan Groundwater Management
Presented by: David P. Lusch, Ph.D.
- Michigan water rights and the Reasonable Use Doctrine
- Public Trust Doctrine
- Part 127 water well construction standards
- Classification of public water supplies
- Wellhead protection areas
- Great Lakes Compact
- Part 327 Water Use Assessment Process
- Prevention of adverse impacts by water withdrawals
- EGLE Water Withdrawal Assessment Tool
- Status of the Water Use Program July 9, 2009 – August 31, 2023
- The Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program
- EGLE Groundwater Discharge Program
- Other laws helping to protect groundwater quality
- Rulemaking process
The Case for Groundwater Policy Reform in Michigan
Presented by: Liz Rosan Kirkwood, J.D.
- Importance of Groundwater
- Sources of Groundwater Pollution: septic, industrial pollution, agriculture, etc.
- Policy and Legal Challenges: fragmented authority, lack of comprehensive scientific data, differing policies for water quantity and quality, precautionary principle v. remediation, lack of public education and knowledge
- Building Momentum: Increasing Groundwater Policy Reform Efforts in Michigan
- Current Legislative Efforts to Protect Groundwater in Michigan
- Uniform Septic Code
- Polluter Pay Reform
Webinar Instructions
All attendees must log-on through their own email – attendees may not watch together if they wish to earn continuing education credit. HalfMoon Education Inc. must be able to prove attendance if either the attendee or HalfMoon Education Inc. is audited.
Certificates of completion can be downloaded in PDF form upon passing a short quiz. A link to the quiz will be sent to each qualifying attendee immediately after the webinar. The certificate can be downloaded from the Results page of the quiz upon scoring 80% or higher.
Webinars are presented via GoToWebinar, an easy-to-use application that can be run on most systems and tablets. Instructions and login information will be provided in an email sent close to the date of the webinar. It is highly recommended that you download, install and test the application before the webinar begins by clicking on the link in the email.
GoToWebinar App requirements:
Windows 7 – 10 or Mac OSX Mavericks (10.9) – macOS Catalina (10.15)
Web Browser:
The two most recent version of the following browsers:
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge
Internet Explorer v11 (or later) with Flash enabled.
Internet connection: Minimum of 1Mbps Hardware: 2GB RAM or more
For more information, visit the Support section at www.gotowebinar.com
Credits
Engineers
7.0 PDHs
Geologists
6.0 Hour Learning Opportunity
Attorneys
6.0 Hour Learning Opportunity
APA/AICP - American Planning Association/American Institute of Certified Planners
6 CM
Continuing Education Credit Information
This webinar is open to the public and is designed to qualify for 7.0 PDHs (based on 50-minute hours) for professional engineers in Michigan. Continuing education courses for Michigan engineers are not subject to preapproval requirements.
This webinar offers a 6.0-hour learning opportunity to geologists and attorneys in Michigan.
HalfMoon Education is an approved CM Provider with the American Planning Association. This course is registered for CM | 6 for Certified Planners.
Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the webinar for those who attend the entire course and score a minimum 80% on the quiz that follows the course (multiple attempts allowed).
On-Demand Credits
The preceding credit information only applies to the live presentation. This course in an on-demand format is not pre-approved by any licensing boards and may not qualify for the same credits; please consult your licensing board(s) to ensure that a structured, asynchronous learning format is appropriate.
Speakers
Liz Rosan Kirkwood
Executive Director at FLOW (For Love of Water) in Traverse City, MIAs an environmental lawyer with over 20 years of experience working on water, sanitation, energy, and environmental governance issues both nationally and internationally, Ms. Kirkwood serves as the organization’s lead on numerous Great Lakes advocacy work and education initiatives. Often testifying or speaking before public bodies, she has made frequent presentations to community organizations and professional and academic audiences on Great Lakes issues from Line 5 to water justice and infrastructure financing to water privatization to climate change. Ms. Kirkwood develops and oversees FLOW’s work on key Great Lakes environmental policies designed to promote healthy ecosystems, thriving communities, and access to safe, clean, affordable water for all. Prior to joining FLOW in 2012, she worked for USAID in Thailand as an environmental attorney to implement a regional environmental governance, water, and sanitation program in Southeast Asia. Ms. Kirkwood also worked as an environmental litigator at Farella, Braun & Martel in San Francisco where she represented clients on natural resource and energy-related matters. Ms. Kirkwood graduated from Williams College with a degree in Environmental Studies and History, and received her J.D. and Environmental Certificate from Lewis & Clark Law School. She currently serves as a member of the International Joint Commission’s Water Quality Board and a board trustee of the Americana Foundation.
David P. Lusch, Ph.D.
Professor at Michigan State UniversityProfessor Lusch retired in 2017, after a 38-year career in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences at Michigan State University. Beginning in 1992 with the publication of the Aquifer Vulnerability Map of Michigan, He helped pioneer the use of geographic information systems for groundwater mapping and management in Michigan. Professor Lusch served as the Principle Investigator or co-PI on numerous applied grants and contracts, many funded by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). The Groundwater Inventory and Mapping Project, which he co-directed, won the MDEQ’s Excellence Award in 2005. In 2008, MSU awarded him the prestigious Distinguished Academic Staff Award and IMAGIN, Michigan’s professional geospatial organization, presented him with the Jim Living Geospatial Achievement Award. As a member of the team that developed the Michigan Groundwater Management Tool (MGMT), Professor Lusch received the annual Director’s Recognition Award from MDEQ in 2009. MGMT allowed MDEQ staff to rapidly produce 2,451 provisional wellhead protection areas for Type 1 and 2 water supplies at no cost to these public drinking water systems. He authored the Groundwater and Karst chapter in the 2009 Michigan Geography and Geology book. Professor Lusch was a co-PI of the 2013 – 2018 Ottawa County Water Resources Study which used process-based flow modeling, coupled with field sampling, historical data mining, geostatistical analyses, and geospatial visualizations to better understand the underlying mechanisms controlling the patterns of shallow groundwater salinization in the county. He co-authored the two papers describing the results of this study (Curtis, et al. 2018. Groundwater. 56 (3): 377–398) and (Curtis, et al. 2019. Groundwater. 57 (5): 784–806). In 2022, Professor Lusch co-authored a review paper entitled “Groundwater in Crisis? Addressing Groundwater Challenges in Michigan (USA) as a Template for the Great Lakes” (Steinman, et al. 2022. Sustainability. 14, 3008). He serves as a Technical Advisor to the Michigan Water Use Advisory Council which advises EGLE on the implementation of the Michigan Water Use Program.