GRASS RIVER & TRIBUTARIES RESTORATION ASSESSMENT:

2011 FINDINGSThree Lakes Association

PO Box 689 Bellaire, MI 49615

 by

Roger Barber, Carrick Conway, David Witt, and Erik Youmans

and  

TLA Volunteers 

2011

Determine if human practices are affecting the health of Grass River and its tributaries and

warrant corrective intervention

• Macroinvertebrate population

• Barriers to fish passage

• Road - stream crossings

• Long term temperature monitoring

• Stream flow measurement

LAKEBELLAIRE

CLAMLAKE

PRIMARY AREA OF STUDY

GRASS RIVER 2.5 MILE LENGTH<0.5 FT ELEVATION DROPFLOW APPROX. 269 CFSNO ROAD CROSSINGS3 MAJOR TRIBUTARIES

SHANTY CREEK 2.75 MILE LENGTH146 FT ELEVATION DROPFLOW APPROX. 13 CFS10 ROAD CROSSINGSNO MAJOR TRIBUTARIES

COLD CREEK 2.5 MILE LENGTH40 FT ELEVATION DROPFLOW APPROX. 33 CFS6 ROAD CROSSINGS1 MAJOR TRIBUTARY

LAKE OF THE WOODS

FINCH CREEK 6.5 MILE LENGTH 443 FT ELEVATION DROPFLOW APPROX. 30 CFS8 ROAD CROSSINGS2 MAJOR TRIBUTARIES

Macroinvertebrate Sampling

Gary, David, Erik in Finch CreekRoger, Braden, David in Cold Creek

Macroinvertebrate Scores

Road Stream Crossing Evaluation

Trish and David in Cold Creek Jim, David, Dean, Carrick in Finch Creek

Effect of Undersized Culvert

Flow Measurements

Roger, Dennis, Braden in Grass River Dr Richards and Carrick in Shanty Creek

Long Term Temperature Monitoring

Carrick and Erik in Cold Creek Completed installation in Shanty Creek

Temperature Data Plot

LAKEBELLAIRE

CLAM LAKE

FINCH CREEK

COLD CREEK

SHANTY CREEK

LAKEOF THE WOODS

PINEBROOK STORM WATER

MANAGEMENT REQUIRED

GOOD POPULATIONSCORE FOR

MACROINVERTEBRATES

GRASS RIVER

UNDERSIZEDCULVERT

UNDERSIZEDCULVERT

13 CFS

33 CFS

30 CFS

Conclusions

Conclusions (1)

• Based on the spring sampling of macroinvertebrate population scores:– Only the upper reach of Cold Creek could be classified as

good. – The macroinvertebrate population scores for Shanty Creek,

Finch Creek, and the lower reach of Cold Creek indicated fair water quality.

Conclusions (2)

• Barriers to fish passage were identified: – (1) an abandoned hydropower dam on Shanty Creek, – (2) a small dam with a footbridge that may have been a sand

trap on Shanty Creek, – (3) a perched culvert on Alden Highway on Finch Creek, – (4) perched culvert on Elder Road on the east branch of

Finch Creek, and (5) perched culvert on Comfort Road on Cold Creek.

Conclusions (3)

• Several road-stream crossing culverts appeared to be undersized based on observations of upstream dead trees. Examples include: – Elder Road on east branch of Finch Creek– Comfort Road on Cold Creek.

Conclusions (4)

• Stream flow measurements were similar to those made in 2005.• Lack of storm water management is an area of concern on

Shanty Creek in the Pine Brook development.

Acknowledgements

Left to right, Roger Barber, Carrick Conway, Erik Youmans, David Witt

Thank you to the Three Lakes Association for providing this summer internship opportunity, especially the volunteers who guided us:

Fred Sittel, Gary Knapp, Trish Narwold, Becky Norris, Dean Branson, Norton Bretz.

Thank you to the college level mentoring from Jim Kelderhouse, Braden Ackerman, Professor Paul Richards.

Thank you to Jim Argo for providing us the opportunity to overfly our study area and take aerial photos.

Thank you to the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation for grant money to help provide stipends to us for our summer work and experience.