Overview
- The success of the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commission is dependent upon the work of a multitude of citizen volunteers and partnerships with local community organizations that organize those volunteers. One of the longest standing partnerships is with the Huron River Watershed Council, which facilitates several valuable data gathering citizen-science programs that monitor the health of local rivers, streams, and lakes. Each year, citizen volunteers record 1000s of observations about the quality of water in local waterways, and they identify and collect data about the types of vegetation and animals found.
- One such partnership is the Michigan Clean Water Corps, which leads Michigan’s premier volunteer lake monitoring program, the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (the CLMP). Through this program the county is able to collect data taken by educated volunteers about water turbidity, chlorophyll-a levels, silt, phosphorus, dissolved oxygen and temperature, exotic plants, and lake shore quality. Data is collected for 13 lakes in Washtenaw County. And for shoreline stewardship, my staff does share this info with lakefront owners we work with.
- Additionally, the HRWC’s River Roundups and Stonefly Searches programs monitor macroinvertebrates. Families and individuals of all ages volunteer to study the main branch of the Huron River and its many creeks and streams. They can participate in a single day event, or join a team to “Adopt” a stream for a whole summer. Stoneflies are sensitive to environmental pollutants and disruptions, and finding them indicates water quality is likely good. Stoneflies are the equivalent of the canary in the coal mine for water quality, and for over 30 years of volunteer-collected data about their whereabouts has helped the county understand which tributaries are healthy and which need improvement. This January, volunteers can join the Winter Stonefly searches organized by the HRWC.
- Volunteers also collect information about the species diversity of macroinvertebrates found in the water. On average, moderately healthy streams in the Huron River watershed have around 11 aquatic insect families, 3-4 crustacean families (typically crayfish, scuds, and sowbugs), and several families of clams and mussels (HRWC does not identify clams and mussels, though we are looking into creating a citizen science mussel survey). The best streams in the watershed have up to 23 aquatic insect families; the most degraded have about 4 insect families. Volunteers usually collect between 75 and 150 specimens in an hour’s work in average-to-healthy streams but will struggle to find 30 specimens in an hour at the most degraded locations. (Source: *directly quoted* https://www.hrwc.org/thirty-years-of-bugs-and-citizen-science-part-2/)
- WCWR recognizes the importance of people working directly to support water quality and environmental initiatives. Each year through the county’s Environmental Excellence Partnership Program (E2P2), the WCWR office confers Environmental Excellence Awards on several county residents or groups that have made significant contributions. The 2023 awards went to:
- Leadership in Environmental Excellence Award - Barbara Lucas, In-Site Video
- Leadership in Environmental Excellence Award - Pierre Gonyon
- Water Quality Protection Award - Prospect Pointe Home Owner's Association
- Waste Reduction and Recycling Award - Genesis of Ann Arbor
- Rain Garden Leadership - Bridget Gruber, Erich Jensen, Adele Sowinski (Source: https://www.washtenaw.org/415/Awards)
Michigan Clean Water Corps
HRWC is pleased to be a partner of the Michigan Clean Water Corps, which leads Michigan’s premier volunteer lake monitoring program, the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (the CLMP). Starting in January 2021, registration opened on the MiCorps website for volunteers to enroll themselves into this program.
Through CLMP, lake residents can monitor their lakes for a variety of parameters:
- Secchi Disk Transparency
- Chlorophyll-a
- Total Phosphorus
- Dissolved Oxygen and Temperature
- Exotic Plant
- Full Plant Mapping
- Score the Shore (lake habitat assessment)
HRWC is part of the core leadership team of MiCorps, and can answer questions regarding the program and guide volunteers in getting involved. To do so, look at the top of the webpage and click the “Contact” button, and send HRWC a brief message. We will get back you!
The Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) is a network of volunteer water quality monitoring programs in Michigan. It was created through Michigan Executive Order #2003-15 to assist the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) in collecting and sharing water quality data for use in water resources management and protection programs. About MiCorps.
The Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) was created through Michigan Executive Order #2003-15 to assist the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) in collecting and sharing water quality data for use in water resources management and protection programs.
MiCorps is administered by Michigan State University Extension under the direction of EGLE and in partnership with the Huron River Watershed Council and Michigan Lakes and Streams Association.
MiCorps is comprised of three core programs: the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program, the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program, and the Volunteer Stream Cleanup Program. MiCorps also provides technical assistance and other support to local units of government, nonprofit entities, and other volunteers around the state in the management of these initiatives, including:
- Training for stream and lake monitoring;
- Disseminating methods for accurate data collection;
- Implementing effective quality assurance practices;
- Facilitating data reporting and information sharing online; and
- Providing a forum for communication and support among volunteer monitoring groups in Michigan.
How can I get involved with MiCorps? The easiest way to answer this question is to contact one of the MiCorps staff to discuss your particular situation and interests. There are numerous ways to get involved with the program, and we’ll be happy to talk with you!
How do I learn the monitoring techniques?
MiCorps offers training sessions at various times throughout the year. Training for lake monitoring is typically provided each year at the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association (MLSA) Annual Conference or Michigan Inland Lakes Convention. MiCorps holds a training workshop for Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program (VSMP) grant recipients each year in June or July. Space permitting, other interested participants may be able to attend this session.
Advanced lake and stream monitoring training sessions may be offered in conjunction with the MiCorps Annual Conference. (Source: *directly quoted* https://micorps.net/about/)
30+ years of macroinvertebrate monitoring River Roundups
In 2022, the HRWC is celebrated 30 years of River Roundups, our macroinvertebrate monitoring program! In 1992, a group of pioneering staff and volunteers first stuck their nets into flowing water and dumped debris into white pans, searching for benthic macroinvertebrates. This established a legacy of volunteer science that has since spread across Michigan, engaged thousands of people, and greatly expanded our knowledge of the Huron River watershed. You can read all about the history of HRWC macroinvertebrate monitoring in Thirty Years of Bugs and Citizen Science, Part 1.
The Data
With 30 years of monitoring comes 30 years of data. River Roundups and Stonefly Searches are great educational events, but they serve a dual purpose in also providing HRWC with knowledge about the ecological quality of the watershed’s aquatic systems. Insects living in streams compose the benthic macroinvertebrate population, along with clams and other mollusks, crayfish, and other taxa. Typically, monitoring focuses on insects (in aquatic stages of development) as they are representative of a variety of feeding levels in the ecosystems’ food webs, are sensitive to local environmental conditions, and are easy to collect. Since the macroinvertebrate population depends on the physical conditions of the stream as well as water quality, its composition indicates overall stream quality. Insect diversity indicates good stream quality and is measured by the number of different insect families. Eighty-seven benthic insect families are found in the Huron River watershed (although we never find them at the same place all at once!).
Data analysis
After the River Roundups and ID Days, HRWC staff examine the numbers and types of macroinvertebrates found. We consider total abundance and diversity metrics such as number of different insect families found at each site (“families” are groups of species that share similar characteristics and evolutionary history). We analyze whether these numbers change from year to year. This information tells us how healthy the stream is, and if it is improving, declining, or staying the same.
On average, moderately healthy streams in the Huron River watershed have around 11 aquatic insect families, 3-4 crustacean families (typically crayfish, scuds, and sowbugs), and several families of clams and mussels (HRWC does not identify clams and mussels, though we are looking into creating a citizen science mussel survey). The best streams in the watershed have up to 23 aquatic insect families; the most degraded have about 4 insect families. Volunteers usually collect between 75 and 150 specimens in an hour’s work in average-to-healthy streams but will struggle to find 30 specimens in an hour at the most degraded locations.
The most alarming, yet useful, finding is when we discover that a good site is in the process of declining; these are the sites to which we need to pay the most attention. We tell state biologists about these sites and ask them to check out the locations themselves. They are often the streams on which we plan extra monitoring or restoration projects. Another useful finding is when we see a degraded stream getting better; these are success stories not just for HRWC but also the larger watershed community.
Guiding practices and results
River Roundup data has guided much HRWC work and provides proof of success for multiple projects:
- After a 2016 data analysis of macroinvertebrate and land use data showed Norton Creek as a highly degraded stream, HRWC received a grant that funded
more in-depth monitoring, which indicated that the creek suffered from low dissolved oxygen levels. HRWC worked with engineers to anchor tree and shrub branches to the banks to create a more natural, curvy stream flow that narrowed the stream channel to scour fine sediment and churn the water. We also installed rain gardens in Wixom to reduce polluted runoff entering the creek directly. - Malletts Creek is an urban creek with a very poor macroinvertebrate community. After many projects, including bank stabilization on the lower sections and stormwater detention at Mary Beth Doyle Park, HRWC has measured statistically significant increases in both macroinvertebrate abundance and diversity. The creek used to hold about 5 insect families but now has closer to 9; the higher diversity reflects a broader range of suitable habitat (pools, riffles, undercut banks) and better water quality than this site displayed prior to restoration efforts.
- In 2008, the City of Dexter and HRWC removed the dam that blocked Mill Creek from the Huron River, sparking a renaissance of waterfront parkland for the City of Dexter. Removing the dam cooled the creek’s water temperature, started a long process of scouring the stream reach of sediment, and created more diverse habitat structure in which macroinvertebrates (and fish!) now live. Since dam removal, the number of highly sensitive insects—those that can only live in the highest quality areas—has nearly tripled from an average of 1.5 sensitive insect families to 4 sensitive insect families found per River Roundup event.
- Sometimes, the most important thing the River Roundup provides is not the data but getting eyes directly on the water where people don’t normally look. In the early 2000s, volunteers sampling on Letts Creek in Chelsea found a stream with drastically reduced insect abundance, fine sediment that billowed up with a greasy smell when the volunteers waded in it, and occasional oily sheens on the surface. HRWC was able to track the sheen upriver and discovered a local business that was allowing rainwater to fill up barrels of greasy machine parts and overflow to the creek. HRWC contacted the state authorities and the polluter was stopped.
The work continues!
Macroinvertebrate monitoring allows HRWC to keep its finger on the pulse of the watershed. The data can be messy and variable, but after years of monitoring any particular place the data can demonstrate distinct, usable patterns that are crucial to our understanding of water quality throughout the watershed. Importantly, none of this work would be possible without the support of the HRWC community of volunteers and friends; you are committed individuals who all believe in our mission. Thank you so much. We can never say it enough!
The monitoring is an ongoing effort, always in need of more people to join the community! So c’mon out with your friends and family.
Our next monitoring event will be our Winter Stonefly Search in January 2023. (Source: *directly quoted* https://www.hrwc.org/thirty-years-of-bugs-and-citizen-science-part-2/)
INSECT AND HABITAT MONITORING
Through this program, families and individuals of all ages volunteer to study the main branch of the Huron River and its many creeks and streams. They can participate in a single day event, or join a team to “Adopt” a stream for a whole summer.
SINGLE DAY EVENTS
These one-day only events require no training or previous knowledge. A trained leader shows participants what to do, and the activities are suitable for everyone, from children to seniors.
Volunteers form small teams and travel to a stream or stretch of river. Depending on the project, they help our experienced researchers collect river creatures, take water samples, or map changes in the river. Volunteers learn to identify bugs and animals that live in the river, figure out what makes a stretch of river healthy or unhealthy, and understand how river ecology works. This program is part of the biggest, longest-running river research project in Michigan, and the information gathered makes a big difference in keeping the Huron River clean and clear.
- River Roundup: Volunteer teams find insects, crayfish and other small river creatures every Fall and Spring.
- Roundup Leader and Collector Training: Volunteers train to lead the teams in the Roundup.
- Insect ID Day: River scientists help volunteers identify the creatures found during the River Roundup event.
- Winter Stonefly Search: In January volunteer teams find stoneflies in healthy streams.
RESOURCES
Google Maps of stream monitoring sites (Great for smart phone navigation, if you have Google Maps app installed)
Data forms,procedures, and Site Maps
RESULTS
To see results, go to our resource library page and search for “River Roundup” or “Stonefly Search” If you would like to see the raw data, please email Paul Steen (psteen@hrwc.org).
Environmental Excellence Awards 2023
The Environmental Excellence Partnership Program (E2P2) recognizes businesses and non-profit organizations in Washtenaw County that are leaders in environmental protection. These organizations practice environmental behaviors in water quality protection, waste reduction and recycling, and pollution prevention.
Please join us in recognizing these award winners for going over and above the call of duty when it comes to doing their best for the environment.
- Leadership in Environmental Excellence Award - Barbara Lucas, In-Site Video
- Leadership in Environmental Excellence Award - Pierre Gonyon
- Water Quality Protection Award - Prospect Pointe Home Owner's Association
- Waste Reduction and Recycling Award - Genesis of Ann Arbor
- Rain Garden Leadership - Bridget Gruber, Erich Jensen, Adele Sowinski
About the Environmental Excellence Partnership Program (E2P2) - The E2P2 Program offers 3 opportunities for participation: Community Partners for Clean Streams for water quality protection, Waste Knot for waste reduction and recycling, and the Pollution Prevention Program for the safe storage and use of hazardous materials.
Community Partners for Clean Streams - Community Partners for Clean Streams is a cooperative effort between the Washtenaw County Water Resource Commissioner’s Office and Washtenaw County businesses and institutions with a common goal to promote business practices that protect Washtenaw County’s watersheds and waterways.
Waste Knot Program - Provides recognition, technical assistance, and education to organizations in waste reduction and recycling. Waste Knot aims to both to protect our environment and to improve their bottom line. Learn more on our Waste Knot page.
Pollution Prevention Program - The Pollution Prevention Program inspects facilities that store, manufacture, or use hazardous, toxic, or polluting materials. Inspectors ensure that facilities use and dispose of hazardous materials properly, preventing environmental contamination. This program operates in accordance with the Washtenaw County Pollution Prevention Regulation under Public Health’s Environmental Health Division.
More Information - For more information on the E2P2 Program or the Environmental Excellence Awards, please contact us via email or 734-222-6860.
Award Criteria
- Compliance with local, state, and federal environmental regulations
- Implementation of innovative environmental initiatives above and beyond legal requirements
- Submission of necessary plans and reports, e.g. Hazardous Materials and Waste Spill Response plans, Water Quality Action Plan, Solid Waste Generator Reports, Pollution Prevention Status Sheets, etc.
- A demonstrated commitment to our environment and community
A committee facilitates the annual award process and recommends the organizations to receive awards. The committee consists of Washtenaw County staff from the Office of the Water Resources Commissioner and Health Department Environmental Health Division. (Source: *directly quoted* https://www.washtenaw.org/415/Awards)
Transcription
David Fair: This is 89 one WEMU. And today, we're going to explore the adage that we are stronger when we work together. We're going to apply it to the health and safety of our local waters in Washtenaw County. I'm David Fair, and welcome to this week's edition of Issues of the Environment. It takes the cooperative efforts of a good number of organizations and volunteers to collaborate and pull off the greatest level of stewardship. And we're going to highlight those efforts today with Evan Pratt. Evan is Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner. And thank you so much for making the time today, Evan. Always good to talk with you.
Evan Pratt: Hi, David. It's great to be here.
David Fair: We know there are issues with much of our waters from one-four dioxane to PFAS to microplastics to polluting runoff. What is your overall assessment of the health of the waters in Washtenaw County right now?
Evan Pratt: Yeah. Overall, we've seen a lot of positive things. I see there's a watershed group actually that has, I'll say, 25 different indicators, and they're actually looking to get a report card out for the Huron River Watershed. It's not quite finished yet, but there are some things that are going really well, and there are some other areas that need improvement, much like we all see every day in our normal lives, right?
David Fair: Right. Well, from a governmental standpoint, how much do you benefit from the efforts of nonprofits like the Huron River Watershed Council and other organizations that are dedicated to active participation in creating safe and healthy waters?
Evan Pratt: Well, David, my office and me personally, we're very thankful year-round, really, for not only all the volunteers that help our office directly, but, like you said, we really rely on the Huron River Watershed Council for water quality testing and also for being there for folks when we don't have public water infrastructure where the tax dollars are working to help people out. If it's just someone's lake, for example, and they want some help with sampling or other water quality health issues, the Watershed Council and the state's lake management programs are really wonderful supplements, especially when there's a volunteer at the front of them, because that's the only way that folks are going to get help. It's kind of a "train the trainer" type of programs in those areas. So, certainly, Watershed Council is great, and we have stewards who help us with natural areas and rain gardens. Some natural areas need a little pruning of the invasive species and a little planting of the things that we'd like. And, of course, the rain gardens—we typically see maintenance 2 or 3 times a year.
David Fair: Well, I'm not sure enough credit is ever given to the great number of volunteers that do participate, and we would certainly be much further behind without those efforts. I want to focus on those who do such valuable work in monitoring the 13 lakes in Washtenaw County. What do we gain from the specific efforts of those who work through the Michigan Clean Water Corps?
Evan Pratt: Sure. So, Clean Water Corps is definitely a volunteer-based program. I think what we gain is the gain of the folks who live right on those lakes. They have an understanding of what the water quality is like. There's also educational materials that help with things like shoreline protection and how to do your lawn care, so that nothing is getting into the water. You know, phosphorous is naturally occurring in Michigan, so we don't need to fertilize our lawns in most places, for example. And we really appreciate the folks who go above and beyond just participating in the programs and either measuring the clarity of the water or the amount of phosphorus or other naturally occurring elements in the water, but also the people who have dedicated their own private property for shoreline protection and have put in what they call loafing areas for the various wildlife, whether that's a heron that needs a place to stand while it's hunting down its next meal, or if it's place for a turtle or snake to sun itself, all these things that just kind of poke out of the water to the shoreline are really helpful. And, in fact, the Watershed Council gave their biggest award of the year last year to Craig Keevey over on Portage Lake, who's dedicated a lot of his personal property to natural shoreline. We really appreciate hundreds of people in these areas.
David Fair: This is Issues of the Environment on 89 one WEMU, and we're talking today with Evan Pratt, Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner. And as head of the Water Resources Commission, what do you gain when you get the kind of input you do from all of the folks you're talking about and then get to apply it to what you have to do bureaucratically?
Evan Pratt: Right. So, I like to say a lot of times, let's say, if we're in a project setting or even if we're just providing some support to folks who have got some information and they're not exactly sure, well, what's the next step, once they know what they've got. Either way, we're the experts in water, moving water, water quality, but we're not the experts in living there and looking at the lake or looking at a problem of flooding or water quality for 20 or 30 years. And that's what we really get from folks who are hands-on, right in their neighborhood, willing to pitch in, whether it's cleaning up a creek or doing some sampling. It's super helpful. But we also get help administratively, David, We don't take care of all of this ourselves. There are a lot of volunteer committees and commissions. I've got a board of public works, where I'm one member out of seven that does a lot of our active lake management programs. We've got folks who volunteered the last several years for the Solid Waste Plan Implementation Advisory Committee, so anything we can do to divert waste from landfills. That's what those folks have been helping Washtenaw County do. And I can tell you we have improved quite a bit as far as the percent of material that no longer has to go to a landfill. And even on specific projects where we're in a neighborhood, I rely on volunteers that maybe get a little arm twisting to be on what's called "boards a determination," because these are meetings that are actually run by volunteer citizens to help us make sure we get good input from people. And it feels a little bit less like a government process.
David Fair: Well, as we take note of all these people and organizations that are doing such good work, I want to further note Washtenaw County's Excellence Partnership Program. What all does it provide in terms of organization, information, education, awareness, and then making sense of all the various works that are being done?
Evan Pratt: Sure. That'd probably take a while to go through all of the steps in the process. But I can tell you that, at the end of each year, we just manage to get back to an in-person awards program for what we call environmental excellence, kind of the Water Quality Protection Awards, as well as pollution prevention, which is a little bit more of the commercial operations that are either helping us recycle or are managing materials in a way that is very thoughtful and protective of our environment. So, we like to recognize folks who do that. And we certainly have several hundred in both of those programs. But we do like to recognize folks who have really helped bring something to the forefront, whether it is providing a new place for recycled plastics to go. Down outside of Manchester, there's a great business down there that helps with that, or there's another business called RateSet up in Northfield Township that also does a lot of work with plastics, and they're very careful and responsible about how they handle the materials on site, what goes down the drain is only what should go down the drain, let's say. And that's part of the pollution prevention that Washtenaw County Environmental Health and our office work on with businesses on a regular basis. We've got a statutory obligation to do this. But we love running into a business that wants to go through more than a checklist, and they want to say, "How can we do a better job with the environment?" We really like to recognize those people each fall. We just did that last October, and we'll make sure and get a link over to you all, so people can take a look at who won awards and what were they doing that were so good.
David Fair: This is 89 one WEMU, and we continue our Issues of the Environment conversation with Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner Evan Pratt. With all of those works and all of those organizations, all of those things that are making a difference in our community, it's important to recognize those people. As you approach 2024, what are your priorities in the New Year? Because there are certainly plenty of challenges to be taken on.
Evan Pratt: There certainly are. I'd say our top focus as a water resources office is resilience. So, continuing to build community resilience, whether that's infiltrating more water into the ground with new developments or retrofitting existing storage areas. That's really cost effective. So, that's a big thing for our water resources office. And on the public works side, they're going to be revising the countywide materials management plan. I think you've had Theo on an earlier show to discuss what that looks like. But that's going to be a big lift, and it'll take about a year and a half to go through all the processes and the steps to take a good scrub on our plan to divert waste from landfills and identify strategies for continuing the waste from landfills. And go figure. We're going to need more volunteers to help us track progress and continue to bring ideas once the plan is complete. You know, the worst thing you can do is spend a year and a half making a plan and then turning it into a doorstop. But we want to make sure that we're actively implementing, and that we've got some citizen volunteers to keep us in check.
David Fair: Well, as we consider another year of work and another year of progress to be made in 2024, are you in the habit of adopting a professional New Year's resolution?
Evan Pratt: I am not, David. I know a lot of people do that, but people who've been around me know that if there's a good idea on October 31st, I expect to be working on it in November. There's no reason to wait till January 1. If we've got a good idea and if we've got the resources, let's get going. And by the same token, we don't want to stress the ship here by loading people up when they've already committed to things that I had started in November. So, nothing major on the resolution front, but we want to have continuous improvement every day. That's really the watchword for us.
David Fair: Well, I'd like to thank you for making time for us today, and I always appreciate the conversation and the information.
Evan Pratt: Yes. Thank you, Dave. And I want to get one last shoutout to people who aren't formal volunteers that do little things like cleaning off the drain in front of their house. They don't have to do that, but it certainly helps. There's about 12,000 in the city of Ann Arbor and about 13,000 of these structures in our system. And it sure does help when somebody cleans a little bit of debris off. I see people doing that all the time, and it's wonderful.
David Fair: Well, thank you for the advice, and we hope many will take it. That is Evan Pratt, Washtenaw County Water Resources commissioner. For more information on the independent and collaborative work being done to steward the waters in our community, visit our website at WEMU dot org. This is your community NPR station, 89 one WEMU FM Ypsilanti.
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