Wellhead Protection

The City of Rochester’s Wellhead Protection Program

Michigan’s groundwater is used for drinking water by nearly half of the state’s population.  Approximately half of our residents are served by wells for their drinking water supply. 

What is Groundwater?

The City of Rochester is dedicated to the preservation and protection of water quality.  In order to prevent groundwater pollution, the City has developed a joint wellhead protection partnership with neighboring communities and the Clinton River Watershed Council.  This program is developed to protect drinking water in identified areas through cooperative management strategies and public education.  The City of Rochester is committed to Wellhead Protection by:

• Educating the public through the installation of Wellhead Protection Area road signs and development of educational materials for our residents;
• Participating in State funded grant programs;
• Land use plan review;
• Enforcing government regulations which are protective of groundwater.

 Facts

• About 90% of the U.S. freshwater supply is groundwater.
• About 27 trillion gallons of groundwater are withdrawn for use in the U.S. each year.
• 53% of Americans get their water from groundwater sources.
  • 37% of which are dependent on public water systems (more than 283,000 wells).
  • The other 26% are from more than 15.1 million private household wells.

What You Can Do:

• Never flush chemicals down the toilet.
• Always recycle household chemicals like gasoline, motor oil, kerosene, insecticides, poisons, and paint.
• Never dump chemicals onto the ground.
• Don’t overuse pesticides or fertilizers.  Many fertilizers and pesticides contain hazardous chemicals.  These can travel through the soil and contaminate groundwater.
• Please visit the NoHaz.com website for information regarding safe disposal of household chemicals.

For more information on protecting source water, click here or contact the Public Works Department at (248) 651-5165.