STATE OF MICHIGAN Michigan DNR DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Number 24 September, 1999 St. Joseph River Assessment Jay K. Wesley and Joan E. Duffy FISHERIES DIVISION SPECIAL REPORT MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES FISHERIES DIVISION Fisheries Special Report 24 September 1999 St. Joseph River Assessment Jay K. Wesley and Joan E. Duffy The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, (MDNR) provides equal opportunities for employment and for access to Michigan’s natural resources. State and Federal laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, disability, age, marital status, height and weight. If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any program, activity or facility, please write the MDNR Equal Opportunity Office, P.O. Box 30028, Lansing, MI 48909, or the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, 1200 6th Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226, or the Office of Human Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington D.C. 20204. For more information about this publication or the American Disabilities Act (ADA), contact, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division, Box 30446, Lansing, MI 48909, or call 517-373-1280. Printed under authority of Michigan Department of Natural Resources Total number of copies printed 580 — Total cost $3,696.69 — Cost per copy $6.37 Suggested Citation Format Wesley, Jay K., and Joan E. Duffy. 1999. St. Joseph River Assessment. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division, Special Report 24. Ann Arbor, Michigan. DEDICATED TO Joan E. Duffy 1954 – 1999 friend and steward of aquatic resources St. Joseph River Assessment TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................. 8 LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................. 10 LIST OF APPENDICES....................................................................................................... 12 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................... 13 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................... 14 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 18 RIVER ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................ 21 Geography.........................................................................................................................................21 Segment 1 (Headwaters)............................................................................................................21 Segment 2 (Upper).....................................................................................................................21 Segment 3 (Middle)....................................................................................................................21 Segment 4 (Lower).....................................................................................................................22 Segment 5 (Mouth).....................................................................................................................22 History...............................................................................................................................................22 Geology and Hydrology....................................................................................................................24 Geology and Physiography ...........................................................................................................24 Climate ..........................................................................................................................................25 Annual Water Flow .......................................................................................................................26 Seasonal Water Flow.....................................................................................................................26 Headwaters and Upper..............................................................................................................27 Middle........................................................................................................................................28 Lower and Mouth.......................................................................................................................28 Daily Water Flow ..........................................................................................................................29 Flooding and Floodplains.............................................................................................................30 Channel Morphology ........................................................................................................................32 Gradient ........................................................................................................................................32 Headwaters................................................................................................................................33 Upper .........................................................................................................................................33 Middle........................................................................................................................................33 Lower .........................................................................................................................................33 Mouth.........................................................................................................................................33 Channel Cross Section ..................................................................................................................33 Headwaters................................................................................................................................34 Upper .........................................................................................................................................34 Middle........................................................................................................................................34 Lower .........................................................................................................................................34 Mouth.........................................................................................................................................34 Dams and Barriers.............................................................................................................................35 Headwaters................................................................................................................................36 Upper .........................................................................................................................................37 Middle........................................................................................................................................37 Lower .........................................................................................................................................37 Mouth.........................................................................................................................................38 5 St. Joseph River Assessment Soils and Land Use Patterns............................................................................................................. 39 Soils............................................................................................................................................... 39 Headwaters ............................................................................................................................... 39 Upper......................................................................................................................................... 39 Middle ....................................................................................................................................... 39 Lower......................................................................................................................................... 40 Mouth ........................................................................................................................................ 40 Land Use ....................................................................................................................................... 40 Bridges and Other Stream Crossings ........................................................................................... 41 Water Quality ................................................................................................................................... 42 Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 42 Combined Sewer Overflows.......................................................................................................... 43 Point Source Pollution.................................................................................................................. 43 Nonpoint Source Pollution