FISHERIES DIVISION SPECIAL REPORT Number 16 April, 1995 Huron River Assessment E. M. Hay-Chmielewski Paul W. Seelbach Gary E. Whelan Douglas B. Jester Jr. Big Lake (1,018 ft) Huron River Watershed Elevation Distance Distance Lake Erie (572 ft) STATE OF MICHIGAN DNR DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES FISHERIES DIVISION Fisheries Special Report No. 16 April, 1995 HURON RIVER ASSESSMENT E. M. Hay-Chmielewski Paul W. Seelbach Gary E. Whelan Douglas B. Jester Jr. 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 30028, Lansing, MI 48909, or call 517-373-1280. COVER: A three dimensional drawing of the area containing the Huron River watershed. It shows how the water flows from the headwaters down the landscape, gathering the contributions from the tributaries, to Lake Erie. The figure is an adaptation of a drawing provided by the Huron River Watershed Council, Ann Arbor. The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them. Albert Einstein 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................ 5 List of Figures....................................................................................................................................... 7 Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................. 9 Executive Summary............................................................................................................................. 10 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................... 13 RIVER ASSESSMENT ...................................................................................................................... 16 Geography.............................................................................................................................. 16 History 16 Biological Communities ........................................................................................................ 18 Original Fish Communities...................................................................................... 18 Factors Affecting Fish Communities....................................................................... 20 Present Fish Communities ....................................................................................... 22 Aquatic Invertebrates (except mussels)................................................................... 23 Mussels 23 Amphibians and Reptiles ......................................................................................... 24 Mammals .................................................................................................................. 25 Birds 25 Other Natural Features of Concern.......................................................................... 25 Pest Species .............................................................................................................. 25 Geology and Hydrology ........................................................................................................ 26 Geology .................................................................................................................... 26 Climate 27 Annual stream flows................................................................................................. 27 Seasonal flow stability ............................................................................................. 28 Daily flow stability................................................................................................... 29 Channel Morphology ............................................................................................................. 30 Channel gradient....................................................................................................... 30 Channel cross sections ............................................................................................. 32 Soils and Land Use Patterns .................................................................................................. 36 Special Jurisdictions............................................................................................................... 38 Navigability .............................................................................................................. 38 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission................................................................. 38 County Drain Commissioners.................................................................................. 39 Natural River Designations..................................................................................... 39 State and Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority Parklands .................................. 40 Recreational Use .................................................................................................................... 40 Dams and Barriers.................................................................................................................. 42 Water Quality......................................................................................................................... 46 Fishery Management.............................................................................................................. 48 Citizen Involvement............................................................................................................... 50 3 MANAGEMENT OPTIONS.............................................................................................................. 52 Biological Communities ........................................................................................................ 52 Geology and Hydrology ....................................................................................................... 53 Channel Morphology ............................................................................................................ 54 Soils and Land Use Patterns .................................................................................................. 55 Special Jurisdictions............................................................................................................... 55 Recreational Use ................................................................................................................... 56 Dams and Barriers.................................................................................................................. 57 Water Quality......................................................................................................................... 57 Fishery Management.............................................................................................................. 58 Citizen Involvement............................................................................................................... 59 PUBLIC COMMENT AND RESPONSE.......................................................................................... 60 GLOSSARY ........................................................................................................................................ 64 REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................... 67 4 List of Tables Table 1. Huron River gradient (ft/mi) from the headwaters to the mouth of the river (Fisheries Division, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, unpublished data). Table 2. Archaeological sites in the Huron River watershed, listed by township. Table 3. List of common and scientific names of species referred to in text. Table 4. Non-indigenous fish species in the Huron River (Fisheries Division, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, unpublished data). Table 5. Fish stocking in the Huron River watershed, 1981-1991 (Fisheries Division, Michigan Department of Natural Resources). Table 6. List of fishes in the Huron River watershed. Table 7. Increases (++) or decreases (d) in range between 1938 and 1977 of vegetation-dependent species (those fish that require vegetation at some point in their life history) on the mainstem of the Huron River and three major tributaries. Table 8. Increases (++) or decreases (d) in range between 1938 and 1977 of gravel-dependent species (those fish that require gravel at some point in their life history) on the mainstem of the Huron River and three major tributaries. Table 9. Increases (++) or decreases (d) in range between 1938 and 1977 of silt-dependent species (those fish that require silt at some point in