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Council debates structure for Inland Lakes ARI project; members favor a focused work group
Summary
Council members discussed governance and staffing for an Inland Lakes Adverse Resource Impact project funded via a 2022 recommendation and identified as likely to require a technical work group rather than a broad committee; several members volunteered and EGLE staff said the appropriation estimate was about $200,000.
Members of the Water Use Advisory Council discussed how best to organize work on the Inland Lakes Adverse Resource Impact (ARI) project, a recommendation from the council’s 2022 report that later received funding.
Brian (council member and data‑committee lead) said organizers must decide whether the project should be handled within the existing data committee, as a subordinate work group, or as a standalone committee. He described the project as requiring both conceptual modeling and data work and suggested technical subject‑matter experts be invited as needed.
Dave Bush (council member) said he would like to participate and recommended a smaller work group to improve scheduling and technical productivity. Kelly (council participant) agreed that a standalone committee may be appropriate if the group will include technical experts beyond the data committee’s membership; otherwise the project could be a subcommittee with members drawn from the data committee.
Brian said staff had estimated a facilitating, technical contract budget in the range of about $200,000; that level of funding was described as sufficient to hire a team that could perform facilitated modeling, background research and technical coordination rather than building a finished predictive tool.
Council members said the product should identify feasible pathways to tool development, list data gaps and recommend next steps. The council agreed to begin oversight from the data committee and to form a work group for detailed technical work, with additional external subject‑matter experts invited as needed.
Members volunteered for the early work list and EGLE staff said they would follow up to schedule data‑committee meetings to formalize the work‑group membership and scope.
