Michigan STATE OF MICHIGAN DNR DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Number 21 June 1998 Manistee River Assessment Thomas J. Rozich www.dnr.state.mi.us FISHERIES DIVISION SPECIAL REPORT MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES FISHERIES DIVISION Fisheries Special Report 21 June 1998 Manistee River Assessment Thomas J. Rozich 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 Michigan DNR Total number of copies printed 375 — Total cost $1559.00— Cost per copy $4.16 Manistee River Assessment Suggested Citation Format Rozich, Thomas J. 1998. Manistee River Assessment. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division, Special Report Number 21. Ann Arbor, Michigan. COVER: “Canfields Rollway” on the Pine River - Lake County, T20N, R12W, Section 12, NW1/4 of NW 1/4. Date of photograph unknown, but thought to be in the 1880s. Photo courtesy of Wexford County Historical Society Museum, from Merlin “Red” Anderson collection donated to the museum. 2 Manistee River Assessment "The Manistee River has been long known as one of the most remarkable streams in the Northwest--in this, that it never floods, seldom freezes, and is never affected by droughts." A.S. Wordsworth - 1869 3 Manistee River Assessment TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................. 6 LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................ 8 LIST OF APPENDICES......................................................................................................... 9 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................... 10 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................... 11 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 14 RIVER ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................ 17 Geography ........................................................................................................................................ 17 History .............................................................................................................................................. 17 Biological Communities................................................................................................................... 19 Original Fish Communities .......................................................................................................... 19 Factors Affecting Fish Communities ............................................................................................ 20 Present Fish Communities............................................................................................................ 21 Segment 1-Headwaters to M-72 Bridge.................................................................................... 21 Segment 2 - M-72 Bridge to Smithville ..................................................................................... 22 Segment 3 - Smithville to M-115 Bridge ................................................................................... 22 Segment 4 -- Hodenpyl Dam to Red Bridge.............................................................................. 22 Segment 5 - Tippy Dam to M-55 Bridge ................................................................................... 22 Segment 6 -- North Branch Manistee River.............................................................................. 22 Segment 7 -- Bear Creek ........................................................................................................... 22 Segment 8 -- Pine River............................................................................................................. 22 Other Tributaries ...................................................................................................................... 23 Hodenpyl and Tippy Dam Backwaters...................................................................................... 23 Unique Communities-Habitats.................................................................................................. 23 Aquatic Invertebrates.................................................................................................................... 23 Amphibians and Reptiles .............................................................................................................. 24 Mammals....................................................................................................................................... 24 Birds.............................................................................................................................................. 25 Pest species................................................................................................................................... 25 Geology And Hydrology .................................................................................................................. 26 Geology......................................................................................................................................... 26 Climate.......................................................................................................................................... 26 Annual Stream Flows.................................................................................................................... 27 Seasonal Flow............................................................................................................................... 27 Daily Flow .................................................................................................................................... 28 Channel Morphology........................................................................................................................ 29 Channel Gradient ......................................................................................................................... 30 Segment 1 and Segment 2 - Headwaters to Smithville.............................................................. 32 Segment 3- Smithville to M-115 Bridge .................................................................................... 32 Segment 4 - Hodenpyl Dam to Red Bridge ............................................................................... 32 Segment 5 - Tippy Dam to M-55 Bridge ................................................................................... 32 4 Manistee River Assessment Segment 6 - North Branch Manistee River................................................................................33 Segment 7 - Bear Creek .............................................................................................................33 Segment 8 - Pine River ..............................................................................................................33 Channel Cross Sections.................................................................................................................33 Soil And Land Use Patterns..............................................................................................................36 Special Jurisdictions .........................................................................................................................39 Navigability ...................................................................................................................................39 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ......................................................................................39 County Drain Commissioners .......................................................................................................40 Natural and Scenic River Designations ........................................................................................40 Recreational Use ...............................................................................................................................40 Dams And Barriers............................................................................................................................42 Water Quality....................................................................................................................................44 Fishery Management.........................................................................................................................46 Segment 1 - Headwaters to M-72 Bridge