LANSING, Mich. (AP) - A state office in charge of environmental health programs is stuck with old technology that affects how it communicates with local health departments.
That finding is in a report released Wednesday by Michigan’s auditor general. The Department of Environmental Quality says it could save a lot of money with an IT upgrade.
The DEQ’s Office of Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance works with health departments, which inspect campgrounds, pools and septage waste haulers. But the audit says there’s no shared database.
The state must manually scan inspections, and paper copies can be lost during delivery. The audit says three IT systems “are in jeopardy of failing.”
DEQ has proposed a $6.5 million IT improvement that could save $9.4 million over six years, including $350,000 just in mail handling.
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