Michigan’s Pollution Emergency Alerting System marks 50 years

Enacted by state law in 1975, the Pollution Emergency Alerting System (PEAS) has been the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s (EGLE) primary tool for hearing from Michigan residents and industries when they witness or experience a release or spill to the environment.

Each year, PEAS receives roughly 2,000 calls. These range from fluid loss because of a vehicle accident, industrial fires, and concerns about lake and river water quality.

PEAS has evolved dramatically over the last 50 years. It was initially a tool to report environmental issues to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, following the integration of environmental protection programs from various state agencies. At that time, PEAS calls were logged on internal memos that required DNR staff to handle them all from Lansing. The system lacked any way for environmental staff to respond after-hours.

Over the course of the next few decades the Department of Environmental Quality was created, and PEAS became an integral part of the department’s mission of protecting public health and the environment.

Today, operating 24/7, the PEAS hotline is staffed by knowledgeable professionals from across EGLE. These dispatchers fulfill their PEAS assignments in addition to their regular jobs as inspectors, compliance assistance specialists, and engineers -- from Marquette to Detroit -- all with the same focus that ensures the callers’ concerns are heard, verified, and acted upon.

Utilizing online tools, EGLE can track emergency events, identify trends that may be impacting a certain area, and alert field staff. PEAS has also been the first point of contact for numerous major events in the state’s history, including the 2010 Kalamazoo River oil spill. But the majority of calls PEAS receives are from concerned residents who see something unusual or unexpected.

In Michigan, there are 27 different rules and regulations that cover release reporting for industries. The easiest way for facilities large and small to comply with these various statutes is to make a timely notification to PEAS, which alerts staff to take action and ensure the protection of public health and the environment.

“There is no penalty for reporting emergency issues to PEAS,” notes Jay Eickholt, EGLE’s Emergency Management Coordinator. “We would rather know about a potential spill over not hearing about it until hours have passed.”  With Michigan’s abundance of lakes and streams, spills to waterways and concerns about water quality make up the majority of PEAS reports. Each month, the Water Resources Division receives 50% of all PEAS reports, which amounts to over 100 calls per month in the summer.