The RRWC will use Enhanced National Wetlands Inventory Data in the River Raisin Watershed to conduct the project, funded by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the amount of $15,000 to conduct a wetlands assessment in the River Raisin Watershed.
Wetlands are complex and unique ecosystems that provide many ecological functions that are beneficial to humans, such as storage of floodwaters and breaking down excess nutrients. These functions can be referred to as the “goods and services” wetlands provide. Examples include fish and wildlife habitat, threatened and endangered species habitat, water pollution control, sediment control and water supply. Because wetlands store water and release it slowly, they are important for maintaining stream flow. Since practically every wetland function is valuable to humans, wetland ‘values’ are closely related to wetland functions.
Wetlands values include hunting, fishing and trapping, food and fiber production, flood protection, erosion control, historic and archeological value, recreation, aesthetic values and water quality maintenance. Whether water is used for recreation, industrial processes or drinking water, everyone needs clean water. Wetlands filter water and serve to protect valuable aquifers and help keep water treatment costs low. Artificial wetlands have been created to serve as wastewater treatment systems and to reclaim areas degraded by mining.
The River Raisin Watershed Council grant project will assess the function of wetlands within the River Raisin watershed. This project will use methods developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to create a Geographic Information System (GIS) that characterizes the function of every wetland in the River Raisin Watershed. These methods, developed by wetland scientists, will utilize correlations between physical wetland attributes (such as whether a wetland is located at the headwaters of a stream or associated with a lake) and wetland functions (such as surface water detention, habitat for wildlife, and transformation of nutrients) to determine the ability of wetlands to perform a variety of functions. The resulting analysis will be incorporated into the River Raisin Watershed Management Plan, currently in development, and will allow local decision makers to prioritize conservation or restoration efforts for important wetlands.
The RRWC was one of only two agencies selected in Michigan for funding of a project to conduct a wetlands inventory update and assessment for the watershed. The project will assemble spatial data and create geographic information system records that integrate new digital imagery, hydrography, soils data, and topographic information. Each wetland in the database will be classified and significant functions analyzed. The project will identify pollution areas and potential wetland restoration sites in order to determine priorities for protection and enchancement.
The project is important because there is no more new water. The water we drink today is the same water dinosaurs drank millions of years ago. We must protect this valuable resource.
