Macatawa Watershed Management Plan Macatawa Watershed Project Macatawa Area Coordinating Council June 2012 301 Douglas Avenue, Holland, MI 49424 www.the-macc.org 616i -395-2688 i Macatawa Watershed Management Plan (2012) TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................ v LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................ vi LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................ viii ACRONYMS ..................................................................................................................................... xi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................. xii CURRENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................. xii HISTORICAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... xii 1.0 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 THE MACATAWA WATERSHED PROJECT ............................................................................... 2 1.2 PURPOSE OF THE WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLAN .......................................................... 3 1.3 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND INPUT ...................................................................................... 4 1.4 THE VISION ............................................................................................................................ 7 1.5 GENERAL WATER QUALITY CONDITION ................................................................................ 8 1.6 OVERALL WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLAN GOALS ........................................................... 9 1.7 SECTION 1.0 REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 10 2.0 WATERSHED HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS ...................................................................... 11 2.1 GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT .......................................................................................................... 12 2.2 GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY ............................................................................................. 18 2.3 SOILS .................................................................................................................................... 21 2.4 PRESETTLEMENT LAND COVER AND ECOLOGY ................................................................... 31 2.5 CULTURAL HISTORY ............................................................................................................. 33 2.6 CURRENT LAND USE, LAND COVER AND ECOLOGY ............................................................ 34 i Macatawa Watershed Management Plan (2012) 2.7 LAKE MACATAWA ................................................................................................................ 43 2.8 POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHICS ................................................................................... 45 2.9 TRANSPORTATION ............................................................................................................... 46 2.10 STORM WATER .................................................................................................................. 50 2.11 SECTION 2.0 REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 53 3.0 WATER QUALITY CONDITIONS ................................................................................................ 55 3.1 ASSESSING WATER QUALITY ............................................................................................... 56 3.2 EARLY MONITORING AND RESEARCH ................................................................................. 56 3.3 WATER QUALITY STANDARDS, DESIGNATED USES AND P TMDL ....................................... 58 3.4 MORE WATER QUALITY INFORMATION .............................................................................. 63 BIOSURVEYS AND WATER CHEMISTRY .................................................................................. 63 ONGOING VOLUNTEER MONITORING................................................................................... 68 RECENT MONITORING AND RESEARCH ................................................................................. 72 3.5 WATER QUALITY: POLLUTANTS, SOURCES AND CAUSES .................................................... 79 PRIORITY POLLUTANTS .......................................................................................................... 80 PRIORITY SOURCES ................................................................................................................ 82 PRIORITY CAUSES ................................................................................................................... 83 3.6 QUANTIFICATION OF NUTRIENTS AND SEDIMENT ............................................................. 85 3.7 LIMITATIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS ...................................................................................... 86 3.8 QUANTIFICATION OF HYDROLOGY AND TEMPERATURE .................................................... 88 3.9 QUANTIFICATION OF E.COLI BACTERIA ............................................................................... 91 3.10 SECTION 3.0 REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 95 4.0 WATERSHED ACTION PLAN ..................................................................................................... 97 4.1 WATER QUALITY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES .......................................................................... 98 ii Macatawa Watershed Management Plan (2012) 4.2 CRITICAL AREAS OF THE WATERSHED ............................................................................... 100 FOR RESTORATION .............................................................................................................. 100 FOR PROTECTION................................................................................................................. 104 4.3 RESTORATION ACTIONS .................................................................................................... 107 4.4 IMPLEMENTATION OF BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES .................................................. 111 WETLAND RESTORATION ..................................................................................................... 111 TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURAL BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ........................................ 113 NON-TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURAL BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ............................... 114 URBAN STORM WATER PRACTICES ..................................................................................... 116 STREAMBANK STABILIZATION ............................................................................................. 119 NON-STRUCTURAL BMPs ..................................................................................................... 120 4.5 PROTECTION ACTIONS ...................................................................................................... 124 4.6 ENHANCEMENT ACTIONS .................................................................................................. 126 4.7 INFORMATION AND EDUCATION STRATEGY .................................................................... 131 4.8 COORDINATION WITH MS4 PERMITTEES ......................................................................... 132 4.9 SECTION 4.0 REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 133 5.0 EVALUATION METHODS ........................................................................................................ 135 5.1 EVALUATION ...................................................................................................................... 136 5.2 MONITORING .................................................................................................................... 136 5.3 SURVEYS ............................................................................................................................ 140 5.4 REPORTING ........................................................................................................................ 140 5.5 SECTION 5.0 REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 141 6.0 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION .............................................................................................. 143 6.1 WHAT ARE THE MAIN CONCERNS? ................................................................................... 144 iii Macatawa Watershed Management Plan (2012) 6.2 WHERE ARE THE CRITICAL AREAS? ................................................................................... 145 6.3 WHAT ACTIONS SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED? .................................................................. 147 6.4 WHAT NEEDS FURTHER STUDY? ....................................................................................... 150 6.5 HOW WILL PROGRESS BE MEASURED? ............................................................................. 150 6.6 WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE?