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EGLE outlines Michigan air-monitoring network, BioWatch and public alerts amid wildfire smoke concerns
Summary
EGLE—s Air Quality Division told the House Appropriations subcommittee it operates 45 monitoring locations, runs a DHS-funded BioWatch program, and updated a public dashboard used for alerts during wildfire smoke events; officials said the network provides critical information for Michiganders with respiratory risks.
Annette Switzer, director of the Air Quality Division at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, told the House Appropriations subcommittee that the division operates and maintains 45 air monitoring locations across the state and runs a Department of Homeland Security-funded BioWatch sampling program.
Switzer said the air monitoring stations are required by federal law and are used to ensure compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards. "There are hundreds of pollutants monitored across those different locations across the state," she said, and she noted the division updated its public-facing dashboard at michigan.gov/myair to help residents check air quality in their area.
Switzer cited the dashboard's value during the unusual wildfire smoke events in 2023 when smoke from Canada caused ground-level impacts in Michigan. "These alerts were particularly useful during the wildfire smoke days that we saw in 2023," she said.
The division also employs meteorologists who produce air-quality forecasts and staff who perform dispersion modeling to support permit reviews and planning. The Air Quality Division said monitoring and forecasting are important to people with underlying health concerns, such as asthma, because forecasts for PM2.5 and ozone help people decide daily activity.
Why it matters: The monitoring network and public alerts provide data that supports public-health decisions, permit reviews, and compliance assessments. The BioWatch program, a federally funded surveillance effort, is treated as confidential with sampling locations and data protected, the division said.
Details from the hearing: Switzer described in-state data collection for meteorology and said Michigan shares its air-quality information with the National Weather Service so it can be included in broader alerts. The division also highlighted an air-quality planning group that tracks changes to federal standards; for example, the PM2.5 standard was recently updated and prompts evaluation of county compliance.
What was not decided: No regulatory changes were proposed or adopted at the hearing. The session was informational and included follow-up questions from legislators about the monitoring system's resilience and independence from federal agencies such as NOAA.
