River Raisin Watershed Managment Plan Part 1
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River Raisin Watershed Management Plan River Raisin Watershed Council Project Partners: Lenawee Conservation District University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and the Environment Stantec JFNew Submitted June 25, 2008 Resubmitted June 5, 2009 Final submission September 30, 2009 Partially funded by Clean Water Act Section 319 Grant administered by the MDEQ MDEQ Tracking Code 2005‐0117 Cover Art by Tom Thiery This plan is dedicated to the memory of Kara Suzanne Tecco (1982 – 2007) who worked tirelessly and gave selflessly to this plan and to the River Raisin Watershed Council River Raisin Watershed Management Plan Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................... 9 1.1 Water Quality Concerns .................................................................................................... 11 1.2 Goals and Objectives ........................................................................................................ 13 1.3 Recommendations ............................................................................................................ 14 1.4 Adaptive Planning ............................................................................................................. 15 2.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 16 2.1 The Great Lakes and the River Raisin Watershed ............................................................ 16 2.1.1 The Bad News ............................................................................................................... 18 2.1.2 The Good News ............................................................................................................ 20 2.2 Purpose of the Watershed Plan ........................................................................................ 21 2.3 Stakeholder Participation .................................................................................................. 22 3.0 Characteristics of the River Raisin Watershed ............................................................................. 24 3.1 Geology and Soils ............................................................................................................. 24 3.2 History ............................................................................................................................... 26 3.3 Climate and Global Warming Implications ........................................................................ 29 3.4 Land Use and Growth Trends ........................................................................................... 31 3.5 Hydrology .......................................................................................................................... 33 3.5.1 Flooding and Drainage .................................................................................................. 37 3.5.2 Flashiness ..................................................................................................................... 38 3.6 Channel Morphology ......................................................................................................... 40 3.6.1 Headwaters to Tecumseh ............................................................................................. 42 3.6.2 Tecumseh to Dundee .................................................................................................... 42 3.6.3 Dundee to Lake Erie ...................................................................................................... 43 3.7 Water Quality and Quantity Impacts .................................................................................. 43 3.7.1 TMDLs/303d Listings ..................................................................................................... 44 3.7.2 AOC ............................................................................................................................... 44 3.7.3 Agriculture ..................................................................................................................... 48 3.7.4 Point Sources, including CAFOs ................................................................................... 49 3.7.5 Consumptive Water Use ............................................................................................... 52 3.7.6 On-site wastewater treatment ....................................................................................... 54 3.7.7 Underground Storage Tanks ......................................................................................... 54 3.8 Watershed Fauna .............................................................................................................. 55 3.8.1 Fish ................................................................................................................................ 55 3.8.2 Mussels ......................................................................................................................... 56 3.8.3 Amphibians .................................................................................................................... 56 3.8.4 Reptiles ......................................................................................................................... 57 3.8.5 Mammals ....................................................................................................................... 57 3.8.6 Birds .............................................................................................................................. 57 3.9 Invasives ........................................................................................................................... 58 3.9.1 Aquatic nuisance species .............................................................................................. 58 3.9.2 Terrestrial and wetland plants ....................................................................................... 58 3.9.3 Pests and pathogens ..................................................................................................... 59 3.10 Regionally Significant Ecological Systems and Species ................................................... 59 3.10.1 Aquatic Ecological Systems .......................................................................................... 59 3.10.2 Terrestrial Natural Communities .................................................................................... 60 4.0 Current Conditions of the River Raisin Watershed ...................................................................... 62 4.1 Heidelberg College National Center for Water Quality Research ..................................... 62 4.2 Regional - USGS Lake Erie Tributary & Michigan Chemistry Water Quality Monitoring Project 65 4.3 UM Water Quality Surveys ................................................................................................ 66 ‐1‐ River Raisin Watershed Management Plan Table of Contents 4.3.1 Total Nitrogen ................................................................................................................ 68 4.3.2 Total Phosphorus .......................................................................................................... 70 4.3.3 Total Suspended Matter ................................................................................................ 71 4.3.4 Conductivity ................................................................................................................... 73 4.3.5 Water Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen & pH ............................................................... 74 4.3.6 E. Coli ............................................................................................................................ 75 4.3.7 UM Water Quality Summary .......................................................................................... 75 4.4 Macroinvertebrates ............................................................................................................ 76 5.0 PRIORITIZING Challenges and Goals in the River Raisin Watershed ............................................... 79 5.1 Designated Uses ............................................................................................................... 80 5.1.1 Status of Designated Uses ............................................................................................ 81 5.2 Prioritization of Pollutants and Sources ............................................................................. 82 5.2.1 Prioritization of Pollutants and Sources for Impaired Uses ........................................... 82 5.2.2 Prioritization of Sources and Causes for Threatened Uses .......................................... 88 5.3 Pollutant Load Estimation .................................................................................................. 88 5.3.1 SWAT Model Calibration and Evaluation ...................................................................... 89 5.3.2 NPDES Point Source and Septic Field Loads ............................................................... 92 5.4 Geographic Water Quality Priorities .................................................................................. 94 5.4.1 Highest Priority Water Quality Subwatersheds: S. Branch RR and Black Creek .......... 95 5.4.2 High Priority Water Quality: Lower River Raisin, Macon Creek, Evans Creek, Saline River, & Little