What does the Middle Huron program hope to accomplish?

The overall goal of the initiative is to improve the quality of the Middle Huron River Watershed.  Improving the ecological quality of the watershed will also enhance the recreational and economic qualities.  HRWC works to achieve this goal by rallying communities to work collectively to reduce pollution.

The objectives of the program are:

1. return Ford and Belleville Lakes to a state that allows people to fish and swim, and improve the water quality tributaries to these lakes;
2. build a partnership with middle Huron communities to achieve the overall goal cost-effectively;
3. reduce summer pollution (especially phosphorus) to the river system and meet water quality standards set by the state; and
4. improve the overall water, fisheries and recreational qualities of the Middle Huron River Watershed.

The Middle Huron program supports the innovative research underway by the University of Michigan under Principal Investigator Dr. John Lehman. This U.S. EPA-funded study “probes the causes and possible corrective measures for the nuisance algal blooms that currently plague Ford and Belleville lakes and which threaten Barton Pond, a drinking water supply,” as the project’s website explains.

The research will improve the management plan among the MDEQ, local and county governments, and HRWC. Click here to visit the project’s website: www.umich.edu/~hrstudy/.

To get more information on the Middle Huron Program, select from below:

• What is the program’s history and background?
• What does the Middle Huron program hope to accomplish?
• What successes has the Middle Huron program had thus far?
• How is the Middle Huron program funded?
• What pollutants does the Middle Huron program tackle?
• How is the monitoring data collected?
• Who is the HRWC contact person for the Middle Huron program?
• Reports and Data?