LLLooowwweeerrr HHHuuurrrooonnn RRRiiivvveeerrr WWWaaattteeerrrssshhheeeddd MMMaaannnaaagggeeemmmeeennnttt PPPlllaaannn Prepared by the Lower Huron River Watershed Inter-Municipality Committee Enhanced image of a photograph by M. Kost with technical assistance from the of floodplain forest in Huron River Watershed Council Oakwoods Metropark, Huron River October, 2005 LOWER HURON RIVER WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLAN Prepared by the Lower Huron River Watershed Inter-Municipality Committee Charter Township of Berlin ~ Charter Township of Brownstown City of Flat Rock ~ City of Gibraltar ~ Huron Township City of Rockwood ~ City of Romulus ~ Village of South Rockwood Sumpter Township ~ Charter Township of Van Buren Charter County of Wayne ~ City of Woodhaven Woodhaven-Brownstown School District with technical assistance from the Huron River Watershed Council October, 2005 The next day we reached the mouth of the Huron river about thirty miles from Detroit . Thus far our journey had been performed with ease, but now we must row against the current when the stream would admit rowing, and when it would not, the boat was propelled by means of poles . the 3rd night we reached Smooth Rock . the Huron from Smooth Rock to Ypsilanti is very crooked . the country through which we passed was rolling~ there was no road, so we dodged here and there through the openings, over hills so steep that it required all the strength of both yokes of oxen to make the ascent. We reached Ann Arbor on the seventh day after leaving Detroit, but the boat containing our goods did not arrive . four miles below Ypsilanti, which was as far as it could come, till the fifteenth day. — Excerpted from an account by Bethuel Farrand, 1852, Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections 6 Lower Huron River Watershed 2 Management Plan ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The members of the Lower Huron River Watershed Inter-municipality Committee, who provided content, oversight, and funding for this watershed management plan, are: Charter Township of Berlin – Supervisor Richard Reed; Mark Gaworecki and Rob Rochon of Hennessey Engineers Charter Township of Brownstown – Alan Bober; Joe Disanto; Rodney Julian; and Brian Woodworth of Wade-Trim, Inc. City of Flat Rock – Mayor Richard Jones; Bruce Hammond; and Brent Florek and Sarah Chope of Charles E. Raines Co. City of Gibraltar – Mayor Richard F. Kuhn, Jr.; Paul Lehr; and Brent Florek and Sarah Chope of Charles E. Raines Co. Huron Township – Supervisor John Mitchell; Melvin Sheats; Linda Spangler; Deeda Stanczak; and Michelle LaRose of OHM, Inc. City of Rockwood – Mayor Dan Guzzi; Cindy Trombly; and Roy Schrameck and Lori Villar of ECT, Inc. City of Romulus – Carl Brooks; Richard Suiter; and Evan Pratt and Elizabeth Thacker of OHM, Inc. Village of South Rockwood – Willene Harold; Mark Gaworecki and Rob Rochon of Hennessey Engineers Sumpter Township – Supervisor Johnny Vawters; George Ferraro of METCO Services, Inc. Charter Township of Van Buren – Dan Swallow Charter County of Wayne – Kelly Cave; Kereen Conley; Sue Hanson; Noel Mullett; Mike Schermesser City of Woodhaven – Michael Kruse Woodhaven-Brownstown Township School District – Susan Featheringill; Jack Rychlicki; and Tim Smith of Prein&Newhof Other interested parties and their representatives who attended meetings, received communications and in other ways showed interest in the development of this watershed management plan are: Huron–Clinton Metropolitan Authority – Mark Arens; Paul Muelle Michigan Department of Transportation – Judy Ruszkowski Lower Huron River Watershed 3 Management Plan Monroe County – Drain Commissioner Dan Stefanski Wayne County Airport Authority – Bryan Wagoner Friends of Detroit River/Detroit Riverkeeper – Bob Burns Michigan Department of Environmental Quality – Hae-Jin Yoon; Patricia Huddas Technical assistance was provided by the Huron River Watershed Council: main author and facilitator – Elizabeth Riggs; GIS and modeling – Kris Olsson; codes and ordinances review and field data compilation – Debi Weiker; HRWC volunteer Dave Brooks catalogued stream crossing survey photographs Lower Huron River Watershed 4 Management Plan Lower Huron River Watershed Management Plan TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 Executive Summary 11 Chapter 2 Introduction 22 2.1 The Lower Huron River Watershed 22 2.2 Purpose of the Lower Huron River Watershed Management Plan 25 2.3 Lower Huron River Watershed Inter-Municipality Committee 25 2.4 Coordination with the Federal Water Quality Programs 26 2.4.1 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II Stormwater Program 26 2.4.2 Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Program 27 Chapter 3 Current Conditions in the Lower Huron River Watershed 29 3.1 Landscape Context 29 3.2 Hydrology and Channel Morphology 31 3.3 Significant Natural Features 38 3.4 Water Chemistry 44 3.5 Freshwater Biological Community 51 3.6 Physical Stream and Riparian Conditions 57 3.7 Land Use Trends 68 3.8 Community Profiles 71 3.9 Point Sources 79 3.10 Sewer Service Areas and Privately Owned Septic Systems 80 Chapter 4 Land Use Analysis 82 4.1 Impervious Cover Model 82 4.2 Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment 86 4.3 The Simple Method 90 4.4 Identification of Critical Area 92 Chapter 5 Lower Huron River Watershed Action Plan 97 5.1 Designated and Desired Uses 97 5.2 Summary of Watershed Impairments, Sources and Causes 99 5.2.1 Altered Hydrology 99 5.2.2 Sediment 100 5.2.3 Excess Nutrients 101 5.2.4 Pathogens 102 5.2.5 Organic Compounds and Heavy Metals 102 5.2.6 Elevated Water Temperature 103 5.2.7 Debris and Litter 103 Lower Huron River Watershed 5 Management Plan 5.3 Goals and Objectives for the Lower Huron River Watershed 109 5.4 Watershed Management Alternatives 112 5.4.1 Analysis of Community Development Codes and Ordinances 112 5.4.2 Selection of Management Alternatives 114 5.5 Lower Huron River Action Plan 118 5.5.1 Recommended Actions to Achieve Lower Huron River Watershed Goals and Objectives 118 5.5.1.1 Managerial Actions: Illicit Discharge Elimination 118 5.5.1.2 Managerial Actions: Public Information & Education 119 5.5.1.3 Managerial Actions: Ordinances and Policies 121 5.5.1.4 Managerial Actions: Practices 126 5.5.1.5 Managerial Actions: Studies and Inventories 128 5.5.1.6 Managerial Actions: Coordination and Funding 130 5.5.1.7 Vegetative Management Alternatives 131 5.5.1.8 Structural Management Alternatives 135 5.6 Evaluation Methods for Measuring Success 140 5.6.1 Qualitative Evaluation Techniques: Tier 1 143 5.6.2 Quantitative Evaluation Techniques: Tier 2 145 References 158 Lower Huron River Watershed 6 Management Plan APPENDICES A Maps B Total Maximum Daily Load for E. coli in Wagner-Pink Drain C Stream Crossing Watershed Survey D Critical Area Methodology E Codes & Ordinances Worksheet Results and Recommendations by Community F Watershed Management Plan Development G Stormwater BMP Specifications H Conservation Planning in the Huron River Watershed I Communications from the Lower Huron River Watershed Inter-Municipality Committee J Model Ordinances and Development Principles K Downriver Results of SEMCOG Public Survey Appendices can be found in Book 2: Appendices for the Lower Huron River Watershed Management Plan, or in digital format on the accompanying CD. Lower Huron River Watershed 7 Management Plan LIST OF TABLES 3.1 Flow (cfs) of the Huron River and select tributaries 3.2 Inventoried dams of the lower Huron River Watershed 3.3 Threatened, endangered and special concern occurrences in the Griggs Creek subwatershed and upstream portion of the lower Huron River 3.4 Threatened, endangered and special concern occurrences in the main stem subwatershed of the lower Huron River 3.5 Threatened, endangered and special concern occurrences in the Silver Creek subwatershed of the lower Huron River 3.6 Threatened, endangered and special concern occurrences in the mouth of the Huron River 3.7 pH ranges that support freshwater biology 3.8 Temperature data for 3 lower Huron River Watershed sites 3.9 Summary of relative abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates found in the Huron River from below Belleville Lakes to Lake Erie, 1978-1982 3.10 Fish stocking history in lower Huron River by MDNR 3.11 Excerpt of synoptic table showing distribution of Naiads (mussels) by collecting stations in the Huron River (1938) 3.12 Distribution of current land uses in the lower Huron River Watershed by community 3.13 Watershed area (acres) and population of participating entities within the lower Huron River Watershed 3.14 NPDES Storm Water Permits in the lower Huron River Watershed as of December, 2004 3.15 NPDES Individual and General Permits in the lower Huron River Watershed as of December, 2004 4.1 Impacts of development on hydrological conditions 4.2 Typical pollutant concentration from land uses 4.3 Percent impervious cover based on current land uses (2000) and build out based on community master plans 4.4 Runoff and pollutant loads computed by L-THIA for each subwatershed for 2000 and presettlement land uses/cover 4.5 Runoff and pollutant loads computed by L-THIA for each subwatershed for 2000 and future land uses/cover 4.6 Runoff and pollutant loads computed by the Simple Method, based on current land use (2000) and build out based on community master plans 4.7 Critical subwatersheds (high impact category) of the lower Huron River Watershed 5.1 Impairments, sources and causes in the lower Huron River Watershed 5.2 Goals and objectives for the lower Huron River Watershed, and the designated and desired uses they address 5.3 Pollutant removal efficiencies for stormwater