Protecting and Restoring the Upper Looking Glass River: A Watershed Management Plan February 2008 Prepared for Clinton County Conservation District Prepared by Public Sector Consultants Inc. Lansing, Michigan www.pscinc.com With assistance from Friends of the Looking Glass River Dewitt, Michigan www.lookingglassriverfriends.org Wetland and Coastal Resources Inc. Lansing, Michigan www.wetlandcoastal.com Rowe Engineering Inc. Flint, Michigan www.roweincorporated.com Dedication This watershed plan is dedicated to Gloria Miller—a true friend of the Looking Glass River, whose passion for protecting the natural world and tireless efforts made this plan possible. She is a founder of the Friends of the Looking Glass and she's a pretty darn good paddler, too. Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................. 1 PROJECT HISTORY............................................................................................................ 1 THE UPPER LOOKING GLASS WATERSHED ...................................................................... 1 FINDINGS OF THE WATERSHED PLAN............................................................................... 1 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS......................................................................................... 2 PROJECT GOALS........................................................................................................... 3 PARTNERS....................................................................................................................... 4 FRIENDS OF THE LOOKING GLASS (FLG)......................................................................... 4 COMMITTEES ................................................................................................................... 4 THE UPPER LOOKING GLASS WATERSHED ........................................................ 6 BACKGROUND.................................................................................................................. 6 DESCRIPTION OF THE UPPER LOOKING GLASS WATERSHED............................................. 9 DEMOGRAPHICS AND COMMUNITY PROFILE .................................................................... 9 GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, AND SOILS ............................................................................ 16 HYDROLOGY.................................................................................................................. 19 WILDLIFE....................................................................................................................... 28 FISHERY......................................................................................................................... 30 USES................................................................................................................................. 32 DESIGNATED USES......................................................................................................... 32 DESIRED USES ............................................................................................................... 33 CRITICAL AND PRIORITY AREAS: Assessment and Selection............................ 36 EROSION ASSESSMENT................................................................................................... 36 WATER CHEMISTRY....................................................................................................... 39 BIOLOGICAL AND AQUATIC HABITAT ASSESSMENTS..................................................... 40 LONG-TERM HYDROLOGIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT (L-THIA) MODELING ANALYSIS ..... 43 CRITICAL AREAS ............................................................................................................ 45 PRIORITY AREAS ............................................................................................................ 48 POLLUTANTS: Impairments and Threats .................................................................. 50 PRIORITIZATION ............................................................................................................. 51 POLLUTANT LOADING..................................................................................................... 53 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................ 55 PRIORITY METHOD ........................................................................................................ 55 MANAGEMENT MEASURES ............................................................................................ 55 BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES......................................................................... 63 DEFINITION OF A BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICE .......................................................... 63 ROLE OF BMPS IN WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLANNING........................................... 63 LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PLANNING.............................................................. 65 HOME RULE.................................................................................................................... 65 MULTIJURISDICTIONAL PLANNING IN THE WATERSHED ................................................. 65 LOCAL LAND USE AND BUILD-OUT ANALYSIS ................................................................ 67 SURVEY OF RESIDENTS............................................................................................ 79 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 79 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................. 79 MAJOR FINDINGS ........................................................................................................... 79 SURVEY CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS......................................................... 83 INFORMATION AND EDUCATION.......................................................................... 85 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.................................................................................................. 85 POTENTIAL PARTNERS FOR THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND EDUCATIONAL PLAN .... 85 EXISTING WATERSHED EDUCATION EFFORTS................................................................ 86 INFORMATION AND EDUCATION PLAN ........................................................................... 86 CURRENT LOCAL ORGANIZATION ACTIVITIES................................................................ 89 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF AVAILABLE EDUCATION RESOURCES............................................... 89 EVALUATION AND MONITORING ......................................................................... 90 REFERENCES................................................................................................................ 97 APPENDICES................................................................................................................. 99 APPENDIX A: BUILD-OUT BY TOWNSHIP APPENDIX B: PRIORITIZATION OF EROSION SITES APPENDIX C: L-THIA REPORTS APPENDIX D: SURVEY AND RESULTS APPENDIX E: LETTERS OF SUPPORT Exhibits EXHIBIT 1 Project Organization ...................................................................................... 5 EXHIBIT 2 Greater Looking Glass Watershed and Sub-Basins....................................... 6 EXHIBIT 3 Upper Looking Glass Subwatershed.............................................................. 7 EXHIBIT 4 Land Cover in the Upper Looking Glass Watershed, 2001.......................... 8 EXHIBIT 5 Communities in the Looking Glass River Watershed ................................... 9 EXHIBIT 6 Residential Density in the Upper Looking Glass Watershed ...................... 10 EXHIBIT 7 Population Projections for Counties in the Watershed ................................ 10 EXHIBIT 8 Upper Looking Glass Watershed, Acres of Land Covered by Lakes and Ponds...................................................................................... 11 EXHIBIT 9 Prominent Lakes Within the Upper Looking Glass Watershed................... 11 EXHIBIT 10 Land Use Classifications Within the Upper Looking Glass Watershed, in Acres, 2007 ............................................................................................................. 13 EXHIBIT 11 Housing Units Projections Summary, Upper Looking Glass River Watershed ...................................................................... 15 EXHIBIT 12 Bedrock Geology ....................................................................................... 17 EXHIBIT 13 Glacial Geology ......................................................................................... 18 EXHIBIT 14 Looking Glass River Base Flow, 2007 ...................................................... 20 EXHIBIT 15 Location of Wetlands in the Upper Looking Glass Watershed, 1978 ....... 23 EXHIBIT 16 Subwatershed Boundaries.......................................................................... 24 EXHIBIT 17 Wetland Loss Between Settlement and 1978, by Subwatershed............... 25 EXHIBIT 18 Existing Wetland Acres, by Municipality ................................................. 26 EXHIBIT 19 Potential Wetlands for Restoration............................................................ 27 EXHIBIT 20 Species Descriptions.................................................................................. 29 EXHIBIT 21 Notable Species in the Upper Looking Glass Watershed.......................... 29 EXHIBIT 22 MDNR Fish Sampling, 1989 ....................................................................