Michigan
Michigan sits in the Midwest and draws its water primarily from Great Lakes and inland aquifers. With roughly 10 million residents, the state has minimal formal water reuse to date, reusing an estimated 3% of its treated wastewater.
Michiganwater quality & safety
Top violation drivers in Michigan
| Contaminant / rule | Systems |
|---|---|
| LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS | 131 |
| Lead and Copper Rule | 63 |
| Revised Total Coliform Rule | 50 |
| Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule | 26 |
| Groundwater Rule | 23 |
| Arsenic | 19 |
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1 · health-based violations since 2016
Surrounded by the Great Lakes, Michigan's defining issues are infrastructure trust after the Flint crisis and widespread PFAS sites.
On the U.S. Drought Monitor scale, Michigan currently tracks around no drought conditions. Michigan has 1,429 community water systems serving about 7 million people; EPA records show 305 of them (21.3%) with a health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violation since 2016. The pages below break down the water issues that matter most here and the communities working on solutions.
Drought history — severe+ extent
% of Michigan in severe drought or worse (D2+) each late summer.
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor (NDMC/UNL, USDA, NOAA) · latest 2026-06-09
Water use (USGS 2015)
- Per-capita (public supply)
- 141 gpcd
- Total withdrawals
- 10.1 Bgal/d
- From groundwater
- 7.6%
- Irrigation share
- 3.3%
- Wastewater reused (est.)
- ~3%
Primary water sources
- ≈ Great Lakes
- ≈ inland aquifers
Common questions
Is tap water safe in Michigan?
Michigan has 1,429 community water systems serving about 7 million people. EPA records show 305 of them (21.3%) with at least one health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violation since 2016, and 53 system(s) over the federal lead action level. Most large systems meet standards; check your specific city and your utility's annual report.
What contaminants are most common in Michigan's water?
The most frequent health-based violations involve LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS, Lead and Copper Rule, Revised Total Coliform Rule.
How much water does Michigan use per person?
Public water systems in Michigan withdraw about 141 gallons per person per day (USGS 2015), drawing 7.6% of fresh water from groundwater.
How bad is the drought in Michigan?
As of 2026-06-09, 0% of Michigan is in drought (D1+) and 0% is in severe drought or worse, per the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Cities in Michigan
29 trackedDetroit
Detroit, MI water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids, MI water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Warren
Warren, MI water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Sterling Heights
Sterling Heights, MI water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Lansing
Lansing, MI water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Clinton Township
Clinton Township, MI water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Flint
Flint, MI water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Dearborn
Dearborn, MI water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Livonia
Livonia, MI water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Canton
Canton, MI water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Troy
Troy, MI water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Key issues in Michigan
Aging Infrastructure
Much of America's water infrastructure is decades past its design life, leaking trillions of gallons a year and demanding hundreds of billions in reinvestment.
ExplorePFAS Contamination
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances persist in water supplies for decades. New federal limits are forcing utilities nationwide to invest in advanced treatment.
ExploreLead Contamination
Millions of lead service lines still connect homes to water mains. After Flint, a national push — backed by new EPA rules — aims to rip them all out.
ExploreAlgal Blooms
Nutrient pollution and warming water are fueling toxic algae outbreaks that can shut down drinking-water intakes — as Toledo learned in 2014.
ExploreAnalysis featuring Michigan
Lead in American Tap Water: What the 2026 Data Shows
More than a thousand U.S. water systems still deliver tap water above the federal lead action level — and two states account for more than half of them.
Read analysisA Decade After Flint, the Lead-Pipe Reckoning Goes National
New federal rules require most U.S. cities to rip out their lead service lines. Nine million remain in the ground.
Read analysisLake Erie's Toxic Algae Is Back. Toledo Is Watching the Water.
A decade after a bloom shut off a half-million people's tap water, nutrient pollution keeps fueling summer outbreaks across the Great Lakes.
Read analysisWater Bills Are Rising Faster Than Incomes
Decades of deferred investment are coming due. As utilities raise rates, a quiet affordability crisis is spreading — with no federal safety net.
Read analysisThe EPA Set PFAS Limits. Now Utilities Face the Bill.
The first national limits on 'forever chemicals' will force thousands of water systems to test for and remove PFAS — at a cost of billions.
Read analysis