MI Water Navigator - Water Infrastructure Helpdesk

Website and Technical Helpdesk to Improve Access to Water Infrastructure Funding Options

In 2022, the Michigan Municipal League Foundation (MMLF) and a group of collaborating organizations introduced the MI Water Navigator Program and website to help municipalities and water utilities statewide obtain state and federal infrastructure funding for safe, clean drinking water. The MI Water Navigator Program was intended to help communities find funding regardless of their economic means or staff capacity. Additionally, MMLF wanted to better understand the various barriers to funding and effectively advocate for state-level policy changes to water infrastructure funding in Michigan.

The MI Water Navigator website included a water infrastructure funding database, an online learning library, and a customer service Helpdesk staffed by water experts from OHM Advisors and a network of technical experts who assist public and private water systems in navigating and applying for water infrastructure project funding. If a community qualified as overburdened, the Helpdesk team identified applicable funding sources and advised on the best course of action. The Helpdesk team also provided the resources to apply for funding or worked directly with an overburdened community to help it complete funding applications on a first come, first served basis. One year after launch, 50% of communities who submitted Helpdesk inquiries qualified as overburdened or significantly overburdened (formerly disadvantaged). 

OHM Advisors provided website project management and subject matter expertise to build the MI Water Navigator website. At the time of the website's launch, MMLF was developing educational tools and downloadable toolkits for the website’s resource library to help communities obtain necessary drinking water infrastructure funding—and in the future, funding for stormwater and wastewater infrastructure as well.

Project highlights: Funding consultant services and technical support; website management consulting services, water infrastructure, drinking water