Michigan Offers Grants To Help Schools And Daycares Comply With First Filter Law

Last October, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill requiring schools and daycares in the state to install water filters that remove lead at all drinking and cooking water outlets.

Now, schools must have a drinking water management plan in place by Jan. 24, 2025.

At the time, Whitmer said, as MLive.com reported, “Every parent wants to make sure their kids are healthy, and today’s bills ensure that our kids have safe and clean drinking water when they sip from the drinking fountain,” said Whitmer. “In Michigan, we have seen the devastating and long-lasting impact of lead exposure, and we are committed to making sure no child has to suffer through this again.”

Detroit has 110 public schools with over 48,000 students enrolled. Along with these schools, the city is home to numerous private schools and daycare facilities. As a result, thousands of children across the area could be without access to water that meets the updated state guidelines.

“Michigan school buildings are older than the national average,” said Nancy Love, an environmental engineering researcher at the University of Michigan, to MLive.com. “They are more likely to have legacy lead inside the walls and in ‘lead free’ plumbing that has not been addressed. We can’t monitor our way out of this. Lead is intermittent and persistent. We know this from our own service-based research in Michigan’s aged school buildings. The Filter First legislation is a game changer for Michigan children”

Manufacturing company Elkay is offering resources for schools in Michigan to help them acquire state funding to help support installing these lifesaving filters.

State funding is available for schools to use for a single purchase or installation of filtered bottle filling stations, coolers, point-of-use filtered faucets and some maintenance and sampling services. Michigan state legislature has appropriated $50 million in federal funding for schools in the state, which will be awarded based on priority scoring.

Resources to help schools and daycares with their applications are also available, with these resources including access to live water experts, free site walkthroughs, webinars, online guides, personalized product recommendations and more.

This also includes a partnership with plumbing system experts Zurn to offer these resources, ultimately hoping to aid schools in improving their water infrastructures.

The Filter First — Healthy Hydration grant application is now open, and will be closing on Oct. 25.