LANSING, MI (WTVB) – 58TH District State Representative Eric Leutheuser says the State of Michigan budget which has been agreed to by Governor Whitmer and Republican state legislative leaders includes $500,000 to study the Michindoh Aquifer and $4 million to train additional state correction officers.
The aquifer provides drinking water for parts of Branch and Hillsdale Counties as well for parts of northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio.
Leutheuser says the study will help determine how much water is in the aquifer and where it’s located.
A stormy controversy broke out in recent years when Artesian of Pioneer, Ohio tried to sell between three and 14 million gallons of water per day from the aquifer to municipalities near Toledo.
Meanwhile, Leutheuser says the new budget includes resources for employees in Michigan prisons. The plan headed to the governor includes $4 million to train additional corrections officers and address attrition.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to illness and death at the Lakeland Correction Facility in Coldwater last spring where 38 staff members tested positive for the virus. Of the 72 Michigan prisoners who have died after testing positive for COVID-19, 23 were housed at one point in Lakeland.
The state budget also includes an additional $500,000 to support employee wellness programs.
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