A Leelanau County lake association is urging residents to support legislation that could protect the health of northern Michigan lakes.

The Lake Leelanau Lake Association sent an email to members that asks to them to voice support for Michigan Senate Bill 771, which would create a statewide septic code, and Senate Bill 812, which aims to regulate wake boats. The email includes letter of support templates for both bills and lawmaker contact info.

“The topics of these bills…have the potential to better protect our waters through stronger regulations,” the email reads. “We encourage you to read more about these topics and to use your voice to share your support of these bills with your representatives.”

Annalise Povolo, director of administration and programs for the LLLA, says Michigan is the last state in the country without a statewide septic code. Considering the very well documented threats that failing septic systems present to waterways, it’s surprising.

“The Great Lakes state does not have a statewide septic code. It’s astonishing, isn’t it?” She tells The Ticker. “And it’s incredibly important to have regulation, because septic pollution is a serious issue. A lot of the septic systems are around the lake are very antiquated, and you have a real increased chance of septic pollution with these older systems.”

According to the LLLA, the septic bill includes key provisions to:

>>Evaluate high-risk or older systems (20+ years old and within 500 feet from any surface water or within a high-risk erosion area, critical dune, or 100-year floodplain).

>>Define septic "failure" and authorize local health departments to inspect, evaluate and enforce compliance.

>> Establish a technical advisory committee of qualified and relevant experts to guide the state in developing rules and performance standards.

>>Provide a new Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Administration Fund to give grant funding to local health departments, support digitization of septic records, fund public education campaigns and assist low-income homeowners with inspection and repair costs.

>>Allow the use of approved alternative and innovative treatment technologies to meet standards and ensure flexibility for communities and property owners.

The second bill aims to better regulate wake boats, which create large waves that can cause considerable shoreline erosion. The bill would require that they be operated in waters deeper than 20 feet and maintain a distance of at least 500 feet from the shoreline.

“(There’s been a lot of research) on the impacts of wake boats, not only on shorelines, but also on the bottom of the lake and the way in which wake boats produce such forceful downward thrust,” Povolo says. “They can even stir up sediment in the bottom of the lake and then reintroduce pollutants or excess nutrients that are down in the sediment and suspend them back into the water and cause a lot of problems for our lakes.”

That’s not to say the LLLA is trying to be a buzz kill.

“Wake boats are fun,” Povolo says. “We want people to be able to recreate, but we want them to recreate responsibly and use them in areas where they're appropriate to use (and minimize) their negative impacts and shallow and nearshore waters.”

Not far away, the Glen Lake Association also supports the spirit of both bills, but is stopping short of asking those in their association to contact lawmakers with their support and does not plan to lobby lawmakers itself. This is at least in part due to a “variety of thought” on how these types of issues should be handled from a regulatory standpoint, GLA Executive Director Kate Gille says.

“I would just say that septic systems and wake boats are both very important conversations to be having, and our goal is to protect this watershed and these lakes,” she tells The Ticker. “We want to provide education so that our membership can then research it themselves and make their own informed decisions.”