Eric Oswald, director of the Drinking Water and Environmental Health Division of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, speaks to attendees of the Great Lakes Drinking Water Conference on Sept. 25, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
As Wednesday marked the 50th Anniversary of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act , state and national environmental officials met in Novi to discuss the past and future of drinking water protections and how Michigan can continue to address threats to our water.
Eric Oswald, director of the Drinking Water and Environmental Health Division of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) told attendees of the Great Lakes Drinking Water Conference that while drinking water regulation had previously been sporadic and stemmed from diseases like cholera spreading through drinking water systems, the Safe Drinking Water Act marked a huge step for drinking water regulations nationally, establishing maximum contaminant levels and setting monitoring requirements.