Climate Change and the Huron
February 8th, 2010 | 
Author: The second in a series of posts highlighting our special climate change edition of The Huron River Report
Kalamazoo, Michigan. Communities that design compact, walkable downtowns and neighborhoods reduce greenhouse emissions and save on heating and infrastructure costs.
While climate change action on the international and national scene may seem stalled, activity on the local level may provide a way to push the process from the ground level up.
What are local communities doing to combat and adapt to climate change?
- Twenty-two southeast Michigan cities have agreed to propel each of their local governments to reduce energy consumption from non-renewable sources by 25 percent by 2015 (compared to 2005 levels). These cities have also pledged to cut energy consumption from all other sources—such as residents, business, and school districts—by 5.14%
- Plans are underway for rail service from Detroit to Ann Arbor, and also a commuter train connecting Ann Arbor to Brighton and Howell.
- Traverse City has undergone a “smart growth” transformation, redeveloping its downtown, participating in a regional “Grand Vision” plan with surrounding communities, and converting a 100-year old mental institution, the Northern Michigan Asylum, into a mixed-use neighborhood called The Village at Grand Traverse Commons.
- Several communities in the watershed have active land preservation programs to purchase natural areas and farmland, or purchase their development rights for permanent preservation. The City of Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor Township, Scio Township, and Washtenaw County all participate.
For more details on what local communities can do to reduce climate change and its impacts, check out our climate change edition of the Huron River Report.
Also, check out this posting about climate change on a local level on the Michigan Suburbs Alliance web site.
Abundant stoneflies found in the Huron and its creeks!
Noemi and Jenny find lively stoneflies under the ice in Fleming Creek on a cold, sunny day in January 2010.
The Huron River was crawling with volunteers and stoneflies on Saturday, January 31. 130 people searched for these small insects in the frozen streams despite the frigid January temperatures. HRWC volunteers split up in small teams and spread out to 48 sites in the Huron River Watershed, from White Lake to Flat Rock (near Lake Erie), in order to give the river system its annual check-up. The instruments for this kind of check-up included pickaxes to break through the ice and nets to scoop up the bugs. Many of the volunteers were surprised at “… the amount of life in a frozen stream.” More photos are here. Go here to read an account of the day.
Posted in Adopt-A-Stream, Events, Monitoring, Study Nature, water quality | 
Tags: Stonefly Search | 
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The winner is HRWC!
We are most happy to announce that the Huron River Watershed Council is the winner! HRWC won a contest sponsored by Bivouac of Ann Arbor and Patagonia. HRWC won a $1000 courtesy of the Bivouac-Pataogonia challenge. Thanks to all our fans, members, and friends who voted for us. The funds will be used to support our Adopt-A-Stream program and continue our river monitoring work throughout the Huron River. Stonefly Search was last Saturday so you might have seen some of our dedicated volunteers on the river, braving the cold and collecting bugs. This is a picture of Bivouac owner Ed Davidson handing the check to a very happy Executive Director Laura Rubin. Thank you to Ed Davidson at Bivouac and everyone who voted for us! (Outfit your life at Bivouac)
The Big Dig at Pioneer
Construction workers place underground box culverts that will hold stormwater
What’s with that big hole in the ground at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor? It’s the latest construction project to improve the quality of stormwater entering Allens Creek, a tributary to the Huron River that flows mostly underground through Ann Arbor. HRWC staff got a first-hand look at the project this week (it was REALLY muddy).
The project, when complete next year, will intercept and treat water runoff from 308 acres of the Allmendinger and Dickens neighborhoods before sending it to Allens Creek. The four swirl units and two basins will treat 80% of the “first flush” of rain storms and infiltrate 20% of the treated water. The basins, measuring a combined 255,000 cubic ft, will store a little less than 6 acre-ft (imagine one acre covered with 6 feet of water). The techniques in use at this site will reduce pollutants in the water, recharge groundwater, and temper peak flows during storms – all of which is good because Allens Creek is located within the middle Huron River watershed where HRWC and partners are working to meet federal and state Water Quality Standards.
The Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner is the lead on the project. Environmental Manager Harry Sheehan says construction costs are $3.1 million with 40% covered by federal stimulus funds and 60% covered by a 20-year low-interest loan paid for by water rates.
Phosphorus Continues to Decline in Middle Huron
Volunteers Magda Herkoff and Mike Chisholm grab a bucket sample from Allens Creek for the Middle Huron Monitoring Program
The 2009 results from monitoring programs in the middle section of the Huron River watershed show that phosphorus levels have continued to decrease – almost to target levels set by state regulation. The reductions are dramatic. Compared to data going back to 2003, phosphorus concentrations in the last two years have declined by 17% on average in the river, and by 29% in tributary streams. The median phosphorus concentration across all tributary sites was 0.042 mg/l for 2009 – below the regulatory target of 0.050 mg/l.
The phosphorus decreases do not appear to be uniform across the middle Huron River watershed. In a study sponsored by the City of Ann Arbor, a team of researchers at the University of Michigan led by Dr. John Lehman found that phosphorus concentrations dropped at river sites within the city and downstream of the wastewater treatment plant, but there was no significant change upstream of the city. Further, they found that concentrations of other nutrients did not decline over the same period of time. These findings suggest that something happened in Ann Arbor that did not occur upstream. Monitoring conducted by HRWC under the Middle Huron Nutrient Monitoring Program found significant declines in tributaries both within and outside Ann Arbor, but the declines were much greater in urban tributaries.
This decline in phosphorus is consistent with the implementation of Ann Arbor’s phosphorus fertilizer ordinance in 2007. That ordinance restricts the application of phosphorus containing fertilizers within the city limits. A competing explanation is that, as construction activities have declined, so have phosphorus concentrations in the river and streams. Further research and refinement of results is needed to clarify a potential causal explanation.
‘The Living Great Lakes’ Featured at Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads
Author Jerry Dennis Discusses ‘The Living Great Lakes: Searching For The Heart Of The Inland Seas’ 
Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads 2010 Author Event
Thursday January 28, 2010, 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Washtenaw Community College
Morris Lawrence Building
4800 East Huron River Drive, Ann Arbor
Acclaimed author Jerry Dennis will discuss his book and offer his own thoughts on the Great Lakes and his personal 4-week journey through the Lakes as a crew-member on a tall-masted schooner. Dennis’ book, has been chosen as the focus of the 2010 Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads program.
A book signing will follow and books will be on sale at this event, courtesy of Nicola’s Books.
HRWC will be on hand with information about the Huron River watershed. Please join us!
Asian carp poised to invade the Great Lakes Ecosystem
Top: Bighead carp; Bottom: Silver Carp
Over the last month, the discussion has heated up about Asian carp and the Chicago River shipping canals that connect the Mississippi River watershed to the Great Lakes. The fish are currently widespread throughout the Mississippi River watershed. It is feared that this group of invasive carp species (including bighead and silver carp) will find a way past an electric barrier on the Chicago River, invade the Great Lakes, and cause widespread ecological and commercial disruption to the Great Lakes ecosystem. In November and again in December, Asian carp DNA (though not actual fish) has been found in fish samples taken past the electric barrier, only miles from Lake Michigan. The video clip below clearly shows why Great Lake residents should be concerned.
In December, Michigan Attorney General Michael Cox sued the State of Illinois and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to force the closure of the locks on the shipping canal. Michigan was soon joined by the other Great Lake States and the province of Ontario. The Obama administration and the State of Illinois opposed the suit, as the closure of the locks would hamper commercial shipping and cause possible flooding problems.
It is likely that the Asian carp would eventually spread to the Huron River if the fish are able to enter the Great Lakes. Michigan citizens are welcome to learn more and to sign a petition at this website created by Attorney General Michael Cox: www.StopAsianCarp.com.
Recent News:
On January 15, the U.S. Supreme Court met in a closed conference to discuss the issue, and on January 19 decided not to force the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close the two locks. The court issued its announcement with no explanation. Later in the day on January 19, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that Asian carp DNA (though not actual fish) had been found in Lake Michigan proper.
On January 20, Michigan U.S. Representative Dave Camp introducted the Close All Routes and Prevent Asian Carp Today (CARP ACT), which if passed would direct the Army Corps to close the locks and also calls for additional barriers to be erected to prevent the carp’s spread.
Michigan Radio Reports on the Impacts of Sprawl
Tune into Michigan Radio (91.7 fm) TONIGHT (Jan 21) at 8pm to hear Sprawling of America, a documentary about the impacts of ”sprawl,” an issue of great importance to the Huron River watershed.
As Michigan Radio reports: “Urban sprawl costs everyone. All taxpayers end up subsidizing the infrastructure costs of some of the wealthier subdivisions. Racism is still a large part of segregated suburbs. Traffic congestion is getting worse and that causes more air pollution.”
HRWC advocates that to maintain the Huron River watershed’s health in the face of increased population, we must change current patterns of development by encouraging higher density where infrastructure already exists, and holding onto our natural areas so they can continue to provide the ecological services necessary to maintain quality of water, air, land, and life.
We’ll be listenting to hear how reporter Lester Graham covers sprawl’s impact on rivers. Details are available at http://www.michiganradio.org/specials.html. If you miss tonight’s airing, go to the link above; it will be available on the web site.
Watershed gets Recovery Funds for Projects
Rain water infiltration projects like this rain garden will be among those considered to treat stormwater.
HRWC secured two grants in 2010 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funding is going to mapping storm drain connections across the watershed, identifying potential “hot spots” for pollution, monitoring to confirm and find pollution sources, and developing high priority projects for reducing pollution from stormwater sources.
One grant is being awarded to the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner on behalf of local governments and other partners in the middle Huron River watershed. That project is worth nearly $172,000, with $135,000 in grant funds. The second grant is being awarded to the Livingston County Drain Commissioner on behalf of partners in the Chain of Lakes subwatershed. That project is worth $111,000, of which $99,000 is from grant funds. The grants are being awarded through a competitive bid process administered by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (now the Department of Natural Resources and Environment). HRWC will be working with local government partners in both projects to help identify and eliminate pollution sources from the watershed.
Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) found in Huron River Watershed fish
Fish with VHS may have hemorrhaging of the skin and internal organs.
A newsletter released by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Lake Erie Management unit, has reported that Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) which is a deadly fish pathogen, was found in Baseline Lake near Pinckney in 2009. This is only the second time that VHS has been confirmed in a Michigan inland lake.
VHS is not a human pathogen; swimming in the water, and eating and touching infected fish will not result in human infection. However, VHS can be deadly to fish populations, and state biologists are carefully watching for signs of VHS spreading across the state. Thankfully, there have been no reported fish kills in Baseline Lake, but we urge residents of the area to be aware of the issue and contact the DNR Lake Erie Management Unit (248-359-9040) if you see fish with the VHS symptoms.
Fish infected with VHS may show hemorrhaging of the skin, including red patches on the skin of the head, but infected fish do not always show obvious external symptoms. Internally, hemorrhages can be found in the liver, spleen, and intestines. The fish often exhibit listless behavior, such as swimming in circles, or hanging just below the water surface.
Baseline Lake is located on the border of Washtenaw and Livingston Counties, and is part of the Huron River’s Chain of Lakes region.
For more information on VHS, read this fact sheet produced by Michigan Sea Grant.
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