Bob Schneider, technical specialist, and Jaclyn Merchant, project manager, from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) discuss the changing regulatory landscape in the state of the Michigan and the DEQ role as a partner to communities facing the monumental task of managing aging infrastructure in the era of declining revenues and funding.

Learn about federal mandates on the horizon, including new certifications and requirements applicable to Michigan State Revolving Fund (SRF) recipients, as well as the new qualifications-based selection process for securing architecture/engineering services.

Two major changes to help municipalities make informed decisions with changing regulations include:

• Beginning January 1, 2016 all publicly owned water systems will be required to have a capital improvement plan, as part of the general plan, that address five- and twenty-year needs
• Beginning January 1, 2018 all communities with more than 1,000 customers will also have to have an asset management plan