ATUR F N AL O R T E N S E O U M R T C R E A STATE OF MICHIGAN S P E DNR D M ICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES SR52 September 2009 Tittabawassee River Assessment Kathrin S. Schrouder, Roger N. Lockwood, and James P. Baker www.michigan.gov/dnr/ FISHERIES DIVISION SPECIAL REPORT 52 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES FISHERIES DIVISION Special Report 52 September 2009 Tittabawassee River Assessment Kathrin S. Schrouder, Roger N. Lockwood, and James P. Baker MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES (DNR) MISSION STATEMENT “The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the State’s natural resources for current and future generations.” NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION (NRC) STATEMENT The Natural Resources Commission, as the governing body for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, provides a strategic framework for the DNR to effectively manage your resources. The NRC holds monthly, public meetings throughout Michigan, working closely with its constituencies in establishing and improving natural resources management policy. MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES NON DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) provides equal opportunities for employment and access to Michigan’s natural resources. Both State and Federal laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, age, sex, height, weight or marital status under the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 as amended (MI PA 453 and MI PA 220, Title V of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act). If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility, or if you desire additional information, please write: HUMAN RESOURCES Or MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL RIGHTS Or OFFICE FOR DIVERSITY AND CIVIL RIGHTS MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES CADILLAC PLACE US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE PO BOX 30028 3054 W. GRAND BLVD., SUITE 3-600 4040 NORTH FAIRFAX DRIVE LANSING MI 48909-7528 DETROIT MI 48202 ARLINGTON VA 22203 ATUR F N AL O R For information or assistance on this publication, contact the MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, T E N S E O U M R T C Fisheries Division, PO BOX 30446, LANSING, MI 48909, or call 517-373-1280. R E A S P E DNR D TTY/TDD: 711 (Michigan Relay Center) M ICHIGAN Suggested Citation Format Schrouder, K.S., R.N. Lockwood, and J.P. Baker. 2009. Tittabawassee River assessment. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Special Report 52, Ann Arbor. ii Tittabawassee River Assessment TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES..................................................................................................... viii LIST OF APPENDICES .............................................................................................xi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...........................................................................................xii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................... xiii INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1 RIVER ASSESSMENT .............................................................................................. 4 Geography ........................................................................................................................... 4 History.................................................................................................................................. 5 Geology ...............................................................................................................................9 Bedrock Geology.............................................................................................................. 9 Surficial Geology ............................................................................................................ 10 Hydrology........................................................................................................................... 11 Climate ........................................................................................................................... 11 Annual Streamflow ......................................................................................................... 12 Seasonal Flow................................................................................................................ 12 Streamflow at Hydropower Facilities .............................................................................. 13 Daily Streamflow............................................................................................................. 14 Flooding or Floodplains .................................................................................................. 15 Consumptive Water Use................................................................................................. 15 Soils and Land Use............................................................................................................ 16 Soils................................................................................................................................17 Land Use ........................................................................................................................ 19 Bridges and Other Stream Crossings............................................................................. 21 Oil and Gas Development .............................................................................................. 22 Channel Morphology.......................................................................................................... 23 Gradient.......................................................................................................................... 23 Specific Power................................................................................................................ 24 Channel Cross Section................................................................................................... 25 Dams and Barriers............................................................................................................. 28 Water Quality ..................................................................................................................... 35 Dioxin Contamination ..................................................................................................... 36 Point Source Pollution .................................................................................................... 38 Nonpoint Source Pollution.............................................................................................. 38 Storm Water Control....................................................................................................... 39 Sites of Environmental Contamination (Part 201 Sites) ................................................. 39 Superfund Sites.............................................................................................................. 40 Dissolved Oxygen, Temperature, Nutrients, and Bacteria ............................................. 40 Tainting of Fish............................................................................................................... 41 River Classification by MDNR, Fisheries Division .......................................................... 41 Consumption Advisories................................................................................................. 41 Procedure 51.................................................................................................................. 42 iii Tittabawassee River Assessment Summary of Water Quality Issues by River Section....................................................... 42 Special Jurisdictions .......................................................................................................... 44 Navigability ..................................................................................................................... 44 Federal Authority ............................................................................................................ 45 Coastal Zone Management ............................................................................................ 45 Federally Regulated Dams............................................................................................. 45 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)........................................................ 45 United States Fish and Wildlife Service–Lamprey Control............................................. 46 Natural and Scenic River Designation............................................................................ 46 County Authorities .......................................................................................................... 46 State Government .......................................................................................................... 47 Biological Communities ..................................................................................................... 48 Original Fish Communities ............................................................................................. 48 Factors Affecting Fish Communities..............................................................................