EGLE Drinking Water Laboratory Testing Fees Update
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s (EGLE) Laboratory Services will be updating its laboratory testing fees next year on October 1, 2026, due to a continuing increase in operating and testing supplies costs. This adjustment is necessary for the laboratory to continue providing high-quality testing services for the State of Michigan, and this announcement is intended to give the laboratory’s clientele time to plan for this change next year.
EGLE is Michigan’s principal state drinking water testing laboratory serving Michigan’s residents, businesses, and the regulated community by providing high-quality laboratory testing for compliance under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The laboratory is certified through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and accredited by the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Conference.
EGLE’s laboratory testing fees were last updated in 2007. Fees collected from drinking water sample testing directly support the laboratory. The costs of providing these services have been steadily increasing since then.
This 40% average increase across the laboratory, based on the annual inflationary change in the Detroit Consumer Price Index, will help offset the rising costs of laboratory operations, including advanced testing equipment and technology, maintenance, chemical reagents and other testing materials, and sample and laboratory waste disposal. This adjustment will bring EGLE’s laboratory testing fees 28% on average below other U.S. EPA Region 5 state laboratories for similar testing services.
To help minimize this increase, the laboratory is also implementing ways to reduce costs by redeveloping some high-volume testing procedures that allow for smaller sample volumes and container sizes, smaller chemical and reagent volumes, reduced waste generation, and increased economies of scale raising testing capacity. This fiscally and environmentally responsible approach follows EGLE’s mission, vision, and values.
Contact the EGLE Laboratory at 517-335-8184 or online at Michigan.gov/EGLELab for additional information about this update including a short survey.
The EGLE Laboratory strives to provide the Michigan community with these critical drinking water testing services that help to protect Michigan’s environment and public health.
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