Mitchell Creek Watershed Conclusions

The development of a watershed master plan helped to assess the overall status of the watershed with respect to its natural features and development potential. By identifying critical areas in need of protection and areas where land development did not negatively encroach on the natural resources and water quality of the watershed, the plan provided a necessary tool for planned, phased growth.

The threat of development was recognized by those who lived and worked in the Mitchell Creek Watershed. This recognition led the four municipalities to take action and to undertake a watershed wide project, the Mitchell Creek Project. One component of the project was the Mitchell Creek Protection Strategy which provided an approach to watershed managment. In turn, the Plan was only one component of the Strategy. While the Plan itself was not adopted, this watershed effort had valuable outcomes including: better understanding of development effects on the watershed, municipalites signing a resolution to continue to address the watershed issues and East Bay Township utilizing the plan, and in particular, the visual assessment in their township planning activities. However, the most apparent outcome was the response of the four municipalities' officials not adopting the plan, and their request for proof. If the concept of watershed protection was to be sold to the community, they needed more than qualitative studies. This need has been translated into current efforts, including: an impervious surface study, macrophytes study, and a functional feeding group study.

To move from a qualitative to a quantitative perspective, indicators of water quality needed to be collected. The impervious surface study utilizing aerial images was undertaken to provide a tool for mapping a key indicator. A 1991 water quality study is being redone, updating it and collecting new macrophyte data. Macrophytes were determined to be very important because citizens could relate to "weeds in the bay". A functional feeding group study was implemented. Geared towards a rapid assessment, this study uses ratios and ranges of habitat degradation. Current efforts include utilizing the data used in previous studies in the current functional feeding group study and also collecting new data.

In regards to the corridor plan, the drain commission has continued to emphasize the need to revisit the stream buffer concept. Local municipal officials are also most interested in readdressing this concept and how to do this in the most equitable way. At issue is whether to buffer streams or develop corridors. The corridor concept is very complex and is species specific. A simplified method for addressing natural resource habitat protection is to buffer streams. Current efforts are examining stream buffering alternatives, including the current approach which uses a graduated scale; defining a specific buffer distance which includes multiple ranges where different activities are permitted; and buffering site by site utilizing slope and aspect.

The Mitchell Creek Protection strategy was invaluable in that it instilled local interest. Additionally, adjacent watesheds have taken notice. It was an attempt to alert the community and give them a means of understanding land use effects on water quality and property rights issues. It has accomplished this and has also prompted interest and activity to engage in further research and understanding. The protection strategy brought up new issues of effective water quality monitoring.