Ecological targets for the Rouge River

The National Wet weather Demonstration Project on the Rouge River is one of the largest restorations ever attempted in an urban river setting. We were contracted to provide  long-term biological (fish community), thermal and hydrologic targets for this restoration using ecological criteria developed from the statewide MRI databases. Based on the observations of physically similar rivers elsewhere in Michigan, we  designed goals for the restoration of the fish community of the Rouge. In addition we provided RPO hydrologic engineers target temperatures and hydrologic yields (wet weather, dry weather, and annual flow duration curves) necessary to support a rehabilitated fish community.

Public benefits: The project is developing new and sorely needed quantitative techniques for planning the rehabilitation of urban river systems. For the Rouge restoration we are providing the first real glimpses of what a rehabilitated Rouge could look like. Because the emerging picture of the Rouge's fishery potential is much better than many residents had anticipated, our analyses are playing both an important technical and political role in the rehabilitation of his river system. Funded by Wayne County (EPA Prime)

Collaborators: Paul Seelbach (MDNR/SNRE), Mike Wiley (SNRE)

Final Project Report

 Wiley, Michael J., Paul W. Seelbach, and Stephen Bowler. 1998. Ecological targets for rehabilitation of the Rouge River. Final Report 68 pp. Rouge Project Office. [RPO-PI-SR08.00]