Huron River Watershed Council

Residents in the Middle Huron River Watershed are facing an escalating environmental challenge as warmer summers and severe storm events increasingly trigger harmful cyanobacteria blooms, which threaten recreational water use, local wildlife, and the health of our regional impoundments like Ford Lake. Rebekah Warren discussed the matter and the actions being taken to fight it with Ric Lawson, director of programs for the Huron River Watershed Council.

For years, Washtenaw County’s relationship with the "forever chemicals" known as PFAS has centered on massive industrial pollution along the Huron River, like the Tribar industrial spill upstream. Yet, a two-year, proactive study by the Multi Lake Water and Sewer Authority entirely flips that script, revealing that the low-level PFAS consistently detected in local wastewater isn’t a corporate spill—it's coming from everyday consumer products used inside Dexter and Lyndon Township homes. Rebekah Warren discussed the study and what actions may come from it with Daniel Brown, climate resilient specialist and emerging contaminant for the Huron River Watershed Council.

The Huron River Watershed Council is holding a public meeting to discuss PFAS being detected in Dexter-area wastewater. WEMU’s Ana Longoria has the details.

Climate change has brought more unpredictable weather, and that has resulted in more severe storms and more flooding, more dams at risk and that, of course, puts property and lives in danger. Around here, we depend on the Huron River. The Digital Water Lab at the University of Michigan has set a network of real-time sensors to improve water monitoring, flood response and coordination among dam operators. WEMU's David Fair got a lesson in how that works in a conversation with U-M Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Branko Kerkez.

Today is Earth Day. The theme for Earth Day 2026 is "Our Power, Our Planet." To mark the occasion, we take a look at the power of natural river flow and the benefits and consequences of man-made dams. There are some legislative reforms under consideration in Lansing, and, in the meantime, there are a number of dams in Washtenaw County in different states of functionality. Huron River Watershed Council executive director Rebecca Esselman joined WEMU's David Fair for a look at where the power of policy and funding will lead us in the years ahead.

The Huron River has risen after several days of steady rain this week, increasing flood risk for homes and businesses near the river. WEMU’s Ana Longoria reports.

Ordinances addressing fertilizer runoff into waterways are being drafted and presented to several townships in Washtenaw County. WEMU’s Ana Longoria has the local story.

Local advocates for protecting the Huron River are raising concerns about the potential environmental impact of a proposed University of Michigan–Los Alamos computational facility planned along the riverfront in Ypsilanti Township. WEMU’s Ana Longoria reports.

Ann Arbor is looking at something "blue" to expand its protection of drinking and other water sources. The new Bluebelt program will work in concert with the Greenbelt land preservation program to expand water protections. WEMU's David Fair was joined by City of Ann Arbor Land Acquisition Specialist, Rosie Pahl Donaldson, to discuss the goals of the program.

Washtenaw County is currently experiencing a mild drought that is impacting the Huron River and the wildlife that relies on it. WEMU’s Ana Longoria has the story.