Several divisions within the Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) administer programs that protect and preserve Michigan’s natural environment. Many of these program guidelines can be found on-line at the MDEQ web site. The site also contains information that will assist with permitting, compliance, and reporting suspected violations.

The Land and Water Management Division administers or plays an important role in approximately 24 planning and environmental protection programs. The goal of many of the programs is promoting the appropriate use and protection of land and water resources in conjunction with increasing social and economic needs of the state. Division programs range from financial and technical assistance to preservation and regulatory environmental protection programs, and are administered through the following organizational units or program areas:

• Land and Water Program Direction


• Program Support


• Information Technology Unit


• Permit Consolidation Unit


• Submerged Lands Management Unit


• Inland Lakes and Wetlands Management Unit


• Coastal Programs Unit


• Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Program


• National Flood Insurance Program


• Hydrologic Studies Unit


• Dam Safety and Subdivision Floodplain Programs Unit


• Transportation and Flood Hazard Management Unit


• Field Project Assistance and Permitting

The Environmental Assistance Center (EAC) oversees a number of assistance and information activities leading to improvement in environmental quality, with an emphasis on pollution prevention. EAD services are non-regulatory, and relate to all environmental programs administered by the Department of Environmental Quality. There are four main program areas in EAD: Financial Assistance, Technical Assistance, Pollution Prevention, and Education/ Outreach.

The Water Bureau protects and enhances the water quality of Michigan’s lakes, rivers and streams. This is accomplished through programs that establish water quality standards, assess water quality, issue permits to regulate the discharge of industrial and municipal wastewaters, determine compliance with state and federal laws and regulations and take enforcement actions when noncompliance is found, and provide technical and financial assistance to watershed management projects. The Division’s programs range from preventive to remedial, and from voluntary to regulatory. Details of the division’s programs are provided in the program listing in the back of this document.