1. Executive Summary
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1. Executive Summary “The significant problems we The Looking Glass River Watershed is one of three watersheds that were face cannot be solved at the same delineated as a result of the formation of the Greater Lansing Regional level of thinking we were at Committee on Phase II Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention (GLRC) on when they were created.” May 21, 2004. The GLRC is comprised of 22 political agencies (i.e. - Albert Einstein communities, drain commissioner’s offices, and road commission) that each chose to fulfill the requirements of the Michigan Watershed-Based National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II Storm Water Permit. The Looking Glass River Watershed contains 14 of the 22 political agencies. Working together as the Looking Glass River Watershed Committee, the permittees have developed this Watershed Management Plan (WMP) to fulfill the permit requirements. The Looking Glass River Watershed includes both rural and urban areas. The urban areas, which encompass approximately 11% of the watershed, Lower Grand include a portion of the Lansing metropolitan area (the Cities of Lansing, River Looking Glass River Watershed Management East Lansing, and Lansing Township), Meridian Township, and the City of Planning Area DeWitt. The City of DeWitt and Bath and DeWitt Townships are experiencing development but still have rural (agricultural and forest) areas that can be protected. Watertown, Woodhull, Victor, Olive and Riley Upper Grand Townships are all in the watershed and all have rural areas with significant River croplands. Michigan Watersheds, Looking Glass River Watershed, Tetra Tech, 2005 Figure 1-1 Watershed Location Map Participating NPDES Chandler Permittees ! Victor Twp ! ! ! Alward Alward! ! Alward Alward ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Saint Clair Olive Twp ! ! ! · Lehman ! ! Bath Township Chandler CLINTON COUNTY ! Round Lake ! ! Oakdale ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! SHIAWASSEE COUNTY ! ! ! 127 ! ! ! £¤ ! ! Sciota Twp ! · ! Clinton County Drain ! ! ! ! Chadwick ! Chadwick Hollister Laingsburg Chadwick ! ! Williams Bond ! ! ! ! Riley Twp State Babcock ! Commissioner ! ! ! Dewitt ! ! Krepps ! ! Ballantine ! ! ! Cutler ! ! ! ! Cutler ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Hunter ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Round Lake ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Cutler ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Wrenwood · Center ! ! Clinton County Road Brookview S US 127 ! ! River Norris ! Wilson ! ! ! Laingsburg ! ! ! ! ! ! Baird Lowell ! ! ! Sara Ann ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Howe Howe ! Woodhull Twp Howe ! Commission ! ! Main Deerpath Upton ! Howe ! ! ! N US 127 ! ! Dill Burlingame ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Britton ! ! ! Grove Golf ! Clise Britton ! ! Rivergate ! ! ! ! City of Kruger Schavey ! Woodbury ! ! ! ! ! Turner Watson Pulver · Webb ! DeWitt Township ! Ivy ! Angle Herbison Colby Lake Shady Brook Dewitt Herbison ! ! ! Sandhill Herbison ! Hide Away ! White Pine Herbison Herbison ! ! ! Herbison ! Primrose! ! !Farm ! Keusch ! ! Redpole Tucker ! ! Tiffin ! ! Webster ! ! Vine Sleight Clark Bath ! Watertown Twp Sanborn ! ! Sleight ! ! ! ! ! ! · ! ! ! DeWitt, City of W I 69/Dewitt Chandler Bernier G K Center ! E I 69 Wood ! Dewitt ! ! ! Looking! Glass River ! Moon Lake ! ! ! ! ! Clark 6th Watson ! I 69 Theresa Robson I 69 · ! ! ! East Lansing, City of Peacock Beard Beard ! E I 69 CD ! Drumheller ! ! Nichols Warner Solon ! ! ! Boichot ! Airport/E I 96Shamrock Lansing ! ! Hardke Francis ! ! Stoll ! Stoll ! ! ! Hawk Hollow Webster/W I 69 Woodbury /I69 ! ! Airport ! Stoll ! ! Stoll ! ! ! ! Oakes Stoll Chetwyn · ! US 127 BR Center ! Ingham County Drain Stoll Daggott Ann Upton ! Gary W I 96 W I 69 ! ! ! ! Dewitt ! ! ! ! ! Outer Braden Grove ! ! ! Woodbury ! Brown ! E I 96 ! ! Northward ! ! ! Lowell Merlin ! Gate ! Brook ! ! 69 Corcoran Dunn ! ! ! ! ! ! State Commissioner ! ! ! ! State Old M 78 ! ! ! ! ! !! Forest Hill §¨¦ E I 96/E I 69 ! ! ! ! Ribbey ! ! State ! Pollard Grand River State State ! ! ! ! ! ! ! National Bennett Sir Galahad Davis ! ! Dewitt Twp ! ! ! ! ! ! Ingersoll Valley Blackberry Lovejoy ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Coleman ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Deer Foster ! ! ! ! ! Old M 78 ! ! ! ! ! ! · Cadgewith W I 69/I 69 BL ! ! Lansing Township ! ! Williams ! ! ! ! Coleman ! ! Missaukee ! ! ! ! ! ! Coleman Zimmer ! ! ! ! Towar Park Lake Barry ! ! ! Shoeman ! ! ! ! ! Unknown ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Bath Twp ! ! ! ! ! ! ! East ! ! ! ! ! ! CLINTON COUNTY West ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Marfitt ! ! ! ! ! ! · Abbey Skyline Lansing, City of Biber Porter ! Lansing Biber Pine Hollow ! ! Coolidge Lake Lansing Hardy Gulick Gulick ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Vassar ! ! ! Twp Hagadorn ! ! ! ! ! ! Tulane ! Abbott ! ! Legend David ! Colorado ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Ohio · ! Meridian Twp Meridian Township ! ! Harrison Applegate ! ! ! ! Waters of the State ! ! ! ! County Boundary Wolf ! ! Saginaw Alton State Roads ! ! ! EATON COUNTY Municipal Boundaries City of Grove Williamstown Twp INGHAM COUNTY ! · ! ! Forest Watertown Township Roads Southlawn Lansing ! ! 0 1 2 3 4 Watershed ! Miles City of 4 Section 1: Executive Summary 1-1 Looking Glass River Watershed 3/31/2006 Water quality monitoring has been and continues to be conducted by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), and Friends of the Looking Glass to determine the effects of various land uses and specific problem areas. As part of this WMP, the permittees will support water quality monitoring to help show changes in water quality as the WMP is implemented. Priority water bodies within the watershed include the Looking Glass River and the Vermillion Creek. Both of these water bodies have multiple designated uses that are threatened or impaired as listed by the MDEQ. The Vermillion Creek is impaired for ‘Untreated Sewage’ and ‘Discharge of Pathogens’. It is anticipated that successful completion of the WMP will Looking Glass River Watershed, Tetra help protect and restore designated uses of the water bodies within the Tech, 2005 Looking Glass River Watershed. The Looking Glass River Watershed has a number of key problems which are discussed in detail in Section 4. Macroinvertebrate and fish communities are only as strong as the habitat available to them in the river corridor. Within that portion of the Looking Glass River Watershed, the habitat ranged from excellent to poor. This mixed bag of data tells us that there are areas of the watershed that are still pristine while other areas need restoration . Before the Looking Glass River reaches DeWitt, habitat quality was identified as good to excellent. Downstream of DeWitt, data shows that macroinvertebrates are significantly impaired and there is a complete absence of intolerant species. Heavy sedimentation deposition and urban debris were common. The populations and diversity rebound by the time the river reached Wright and Howe Roads, downstream of this watershed planning area (Evans 1976). The Vermillion Creek also has problems in water quality which has impacted the macroinvertebrate and fish communities, resulting in poor ratings from MDEQ. Initial investigations Looking Glass River near Babcock Rd., suggest that problems are coming from upstream of our Looking Glass Tetra Tech, 2005 Watershed boundary. Development of the WMP and the decision making process of the watershed committee has involved input from the general public and the stakeholders. Multiple public meetings were held at the start of the WMP development, four stakeholder workshops were held throughout the planning process, and the public was invited to comment near the completion of the plan. At these meetings, the WMP stakeholders and the general public expressed their concerns and vision for the watershed which includes having swimmable and fishable water bodies and significant public education as top priorities. In addition to the vision of the general public and stakeholders, consideration was given to the restoration and protection of the designated uses of the water bodies. The following goals were developed through the public participation and input process: · Educate the Public about the Importance of Protecting and Managing the Watershed Looking Glass River Watershed, Tetra · Provide a Sustainable and Equitable Funding Source Tech, 2005 · Encourage Water Quality Friendly Development · Restore and Enhance Recreational Uses Through Development of a Watershed Recreation Plan · Protect and Enhance Habitat for Wildlife and Aquatic Animals Through Development of a Watershed Habitat Plan Section 1: Executive Summary 1-2 Looking Glass River Watershed 3/31/2006 · Protect and Increase Wetlands Through Development of a Watershed Habitat Plan · Provide Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping Practices for Municipal Operations · Strive to Eliminate Pathogens to Meet Total and Partial Body Contact for Recreational Uses · Encourage Water Quality Friendly Agricultural Practices The goals and objectives were then used to guide the development of the Action Plan in Section 8. The Action Plan is a comprehensive set of actions which support the nine goals and subordinate objectives for the watershed. Vermillion Creek at Woodbury Road, Tetra Tech, 2005 The goals listed above include the following actions: developing a public education campaign; a funding strategy; development standards; riparian recreation and habitat projects; pollution prevention practices; an illicit discharge elimination program; and agricultural best management practices. The actions are presented in a table under their corresponding goal and objective and are accompanied by a schedule, responsible