An integral part of our Environmental Assistance Program (EAP) is the Environmental Assistance Center (EAC). The EAC serves as a single point of entry into all DEQ environmental programs.  By calling the EAC's 1-800-662-9278 number from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Monday through Friday, business, industry, local units of government, and the general public can receive direct one-on-one assistance or referral to a network of technical staff within the DEQ.

Since its inception in February 1995, the goal of the EAC has been to help callers "navigate" through the DEQ's various programs, and to provide timely and accurate assistance on a wide array of environmental topics and issues including:

• Aboveground and underground storage tanks
• Air quality issues and permits
• Baseline Environmental Assessments (BEA)
• Brownfield redevelopment
• Clean Corporate Citizen (C3)
• Complaints - open burning, dust, odor, water quality
• Composting
• Contaminated site information and clean-up criteria
• Drinking water wells
• Emergency planning
• Environmental education
• Environmental Management Systems (EMS), ISO 14001
• Environmental reporting and record keeping
• Flooding and floodplains
• Grants and loans
• Groundwater discharges
• Household hazardous waste
• Laboratory testing
• Michigan Business Pollution Prevention Partnership (MBP3)
• National Pollution Discharge Elimination (NPDES) permits
• Naturally occurring phenomena-algae, bacteria, foam, pollen, bryozoans, whiting event
• New business start up, (permits, licenses, certifications, requirements)
• Oil and gas wells and mineral mining
• Permitting, licensing and certification requirements
• Pollution prevention, waste reduction, recycling
• Purchasing contaminated property
• Radon
• SARA Title III/Community-Right-to-Know
• Septic systems maintenance, septage haulers
• Soil erosion and sedimentation control
• Spill reporting and prevention
• Storm water management
• Subdivision development
• Retired Engineers Technical Assistance Program (RETAP) (free pollution prevention assessment)
• Waste management - hazardous, solid, medical and liquid industrial wastes
• Water quality
• Water supplies
• Wellhead protection
• Wetlands
• Workshops and training

The EAC is the DEQ's "front line" for day to day contact with the general public and regulated community and was given the Director's Employee Recognition Award in February 2004 for their outstanding service to the DEQ and to the people of the State of Michigan.  Last fiscal year the EAC handled over 30,000 calls and e-mails.   Karen, Robin and Karen look forward to helping you with your environmental question or concern.   Give them a call at 1-800-662-9278, or you can send an e-mail to: deq-ead-env-assist@michigan.gov.