A Case Study of Information Gaps in Watershed Planning

A Case Study of Information Gaps in Watershed Planning

"The St. Marys River is the connecting channel from Lake Superior to Lake Huron. In 1985, the St. Marys River was named one of the 42 Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes Basin, by the International Joint Commission due to high levels of phosphorus, bacteria, heavy metals, trace organics, contaminated sediments, fish consumption advisories, and environmentally impacted biota. The Munuscong River is the largest tributary of the St. Marys River. There is a potential that some of these nonpoint source contaminants are originating from the Munuscong River Watershed. The Munuscong River watershed, located in Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula, covers 149,000 acres of forest and agricultural land. The watershed consists of eight tributaries. The main stem of the river is listed on the Clean Water Act 303(d) list of impaired waters for sediment/siltation non-point source pollution. One of the main concerns with the 303(d) listing is that the Munuscong River hosts one of the last remnant native walleye populations in the St. Marys River watershed. Silt and sediment deposition from non-point sources has destroyed much of the walleye habitat and continues to threaten remaining areas. The watershed soils are mainly poorly drained clays, and the topography is moderately flat, overlying limestone and dolomite bedrock. The poor drainage is a major challenge to farmers and citizens in the area due to flooding. Ditches and dead furrows are installed frequently to accelerate surface water drainage but cause area streams to be flashy and turbid during spring and fall and nearly dry during summer months. Water quality in the Munuscong River basin should be improved. One way to address water quality impairments is through a watershed management plan. It provides assessment and management information for a watershed, including analyses, actions, participants, and resources related to developing and implementing the plan. Currently the Chippewa/East Mackinac Conservation District is developing a watershed management plan for the Munuscong River Watershed to address impairments. Many elements will be addressed in the watershed management plan; however my service learning project focused on two areas. I worked with the Chippewa/East Mackinac Conservation District to complete an inventory of road culverts and completed a questionnaire of residents living within the watershed."

Filice,Paige

Biology

Lake Superior State University

2011

Copyright Paige Filice: All rights reserved. LSSU use only.

application/pdf

English

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S20230919008