Ann Arbor Bluebelt program seeks to permanently preserve drinking water supply

Following the Ann Arbor Greenbelt Advisory Commission‘s recent adoption of a new implementation framework, the city is calling for landowners to apply to its new voluntary Bluebelt program. Building on the city’s longstanding Greenbelt initiative – which has preserved important open spaces and natural areas –  the Bluebelt program is designed to permanently protect properties that are vital for safeguarding Ann Arbor’s drinking water supply.

“The Bluebelt program focuses on land upstream from where Ann Arbor draws its drinking water, with boundaries set at the county line and within the Huron River watershed,” says Rosie Pahl Donaldson, the city’s land acquisition supervisor. “To qualify, properties should play a role in directly protecting our drinking water supply. This includes open spaces, natural habitats, or working landscapes.”

The city’s Greenbelt Advisory Commission developed the eligibility framework with a number of collaborators, including the Huron River Watershed Council, the Legacy Land Conservancy, Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission, and Dexter, Scio, and Webster townships. The initiative is funded by the city’s Open Space and Parkland Preservation Millage. The 0.5-mill, 30-year property tax was approved by voters in 2003. The Bluebelt expansion, Pahl Donaldson explains, doesn’t come with any additional local tax funding. The city plans to leverage potential state and federal grants focused on water quality protection, and also expand opportunities for people to buy, permanently protect, and then sell property.

“This is a voluntary program that relies so much on applications from landowners within the Bluebelt, and it really comes down to their choice,” Pahl Donaldson says. “More money is available in more areas. They can just call us and we’ll help determine if they are eligible. We love talking about this.”

She adds that the Bluebelt program is connected to Ann Arbor’s broader priorities, as it advances the city’s climate action and local food security goals. Protecting land ensures that agricultural areas remain available, bolstering local food production and environmental resilience. 

“It is part of our climate goals here at the city to help out our local food economy. Preserving land to have the land available for that use, that’s the first thing that you need,” Pahl Donaldson says. “As we’re seeing federal programs drop and the state suffering from lack of federal money, we have our local resources as a failsafe. I think that’s really valuable and special.”

She also expresses hope that Ann Arbor’s approach can inspire broader action, becoming a template or catalyst for similar statewide land preservation programs. 

“These water processes are not bounded natural areas, and water is not bounded by political boundaries. Recognizing and responding to that is difficult,” Pahl Donaldson says. “I’m talking about headwaters at the beginning of the Huron River that affect Lake Erie, miles and miles away. We have to recognize that our impact is regional and far-reaching.”

She shares that some local partners have already submitted information for Greenbelt projects that they’re interested in getting funded through the Bluebelt program. 

“I am happy with the eligibility rate of those. There’s some really good projects in there that we are excited about,” Pahl Donaldson says. “Now we really need more landowners to call and apply. We can only do good work when they choose to do good work.”