The River - Atlas

Introduction the Detroit River

The Detroit River is a place of great significance and beauty. In 2001, 18 miles of the lower Detroit River was designated as the first International Wildlife Refuge and in May 2003, this designation was expanded 30 miles south and west to the Michigan/Ohio border. The River’s main waterway, wetlands, riverfront land, and islands provide important habitat for wildlife, including endangered species, as well as numerous recreation and aesthetic benefits to residents and visitors. The River is also designated as a Canadian Heritage River and American Heritage River.

The Detroit River is the connecting waterway between Lake St. Clair in the north, and Lake Erie in the south, and is our border with Canada to the east. The river flows south/southwest. The River is a major waterfowl thoroughfare, where 29 species of waterfowl, 65 kinds of fish, and 300 species of migratory birds live or pass through each year.

A healthy river is essential to a pleasant environment and robust economy. There are so many ways we enjoy the river environment, including hunting, fishing, bird and wildlife watching, boating, walking along the riverfront, and learning about Native American history, to name a few. Conserving the River’s habitat will not only help the river ecology, but are integral to improving the value of the river to the community as a whole.

Brief Ecology of the Southeast Michigan

Soils

The texture of soils helps us understand how the land will respond to precipitation. Will most of the water run off quickly or soak in easily (infiltrate)? The three main texture classes of soil are sand, silt and clay. Clay is the finest texture, making it more difficult for water to soak into the ground. Sand is the coarsest texture, and allows water to infiltrate more easily. In general, the soils in southeast Michigan are "hydric", or poorly drained. This means that after precipitation, the water runoff will likely move quickly over the land and drain into streams and eventually the Detroit river. With less ability to soak into the ground, this water runoff has a greater chance to pick up pollutants as it drains to the river. (Be sure to read the "tips" section for ideas on how to prevent pollution around your home or business). For much more detailed information on soils, please visit the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service. Below is a map showing an overview of the soil types in Southeast Michigan, from the USDA’s STATSGO data.

(graphic courtesy L. Bruhn. Data from Michigan Geographic Data Library.)

How quickly water soaks into the land and into the groundwater is influenced by the geology of the area. Thousands of years ago as the glaciers retreated from the land, they left behind sediment deposits made up of various soil and rock mixtures. These deposits are called "glacial drift" These deposits include till, which is a mixture of soil and rocks of varying sizes; and lacustrine deposits which consist of clay, silt, or sand. These sediment deposits (glacial drift) cover the bedrock layers, and below the bedrock layers is groundwater storage. In southeast Michigan, the glacial drift is relatively thin compared to the rest of the state, making groundwater contamination in this region more vulnerable. For more detailed information, you may with to visit the Department of Environmental Quality’s Geology in Michigan page.

(graphic courtesy L. Bruhn. Data from Michigan Geographic Data Library.)

Useful links:

http://www.tellusnews.com/ahr/art/pdf/ReconnectingToDetroitRiver.pdf     Provides a history of the river and accomplishments and goals of the Greater Detroit American Heritage River Initiative
 

a summary http://www.epa.gov/region5/semi/refuge.htm

The Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN) offers a wealth of data and information about the Great Lakes region’s environment, economy, tourism, education and more. http://www.great-lakes.net/