About

Safe Water Engineering is a public interest drinking water consulting firm. We are dedicated to prioritizing public health in water decisions with sustainable and cost-effective solutions. We work to improve transparency around water quality to build trust in water utilities and support future infrastructure investments.

We help water utilities comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act and ensure that communities in crisis receive high-quality information from the organizations overseeing their drinking water. We share our project results and case studies with policymakers to improve drinking water policy, leveraging our expertise to develop protective, practical solutions and identify opportunities to simplify implementation while maintaining public health protection.

At Safe Water Engineering, we support communities, water utilities, policymakers, and decision-makers. We help you understand your water quality, water infrastructure, and the decisions being made in your community.

What We Do

For Schools

We help schools comply with the new Michigan Filter First requirements, and we troubleshoot water quality challenges in school buildings.

For Water Utilities

We help water utilities comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act, with a major focus on proactive public health protection. We specialize in Lead and Copper Rule compliance and lead service line replacement.

For Policy Organizations

We support and advise NGOs as they engage in drinking water policy discussions at the local, state and federal levels, ensuring that both science and practice are considered and incorporated in policy decisions.

For Residents and
Community Groups

We provide technical support to community members and community groups experiencing drinking water quality challenges and crises. We interpret technical reports for community members and identify information needed  to quantify challenges and resolve issues. 

Meet Elin

Photo by Jean Lannen

Elin Warn Betanzo is president and founder of Safe Water Engineering LLC, a Detroit-based consulting firm working to improve access to safe drinking water through engineering and policy consulting.   

Elin is a Professional Engineer registered in Michigan, Maryland and Virginia, and a certified water system operator in Michigan. She has nearly 25 years of experience working on drinking water science, engineering, and policy issues. She worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water writing and implementing national drinking water regulations, for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission where she led water system master planning and hydraulic modeling, and for the Northeast-Midwest Institute leading their Safe Drinking Water Research and Policy Program.

In August of 2015, Elin played a critical role in uncovering the Flint Water Crisis by convincing Dr. Mona Hanna, a Flint pediatrician, to conduct a study that discovered elevated lead levels in children living in Flint, Michigan. In addition, she contributed to the U.S. EPA's response to the Washington DC lead crisis in 2004 and supported the Benton Harbor community through technical analysis through their lead crisis starting in 2021. Elin continues to work on lead and drinking water policy at federal, state, and local levels. Projects include designing the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department lead service line replacement program, improving public education about lead in drinking water with the University of Michigan, and analyzing the status of water affordability across the state of Michigan. Elin’s technical analysis helped trigger a state and federal response to the Benton Harbor lead crisis that resulted in one of the most comprehensive lead service line replacement programs documented to date. Her data analysis and technical expertise were a driving force behind the new Michigan Filter First requirements for safer school drinking water.

Committees

Awards