rapid and torch rivers august 2013 esla. issue: increasing sediment 1993 – aarwood to torch river
TRANSCRIPT
Rapid and Torch Rivers
August 2013ESLA
Issue: Increasing Sediment1993 – Aarwood to Torch River
Issue: Increasing Sediment2005 – Aarwood to Torch River
Issue: Increasing Sediment2011 – East and West of Aarwood Bridge
Rugg Pond 2011
Torch River/Lake Skegemog 1938
Torch River/Lake Skegemog 2010
Removing sediment from our Rivers will most likely be very expensive and require approval from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Natural Resources.
Both of these agencies and and organizations that will potentially consider providing grant funds for addressing our sediment issues will want to know information about the health of our Rivers and about the sources of sediment both naturally occurring and manmade.
We need data to support grant fund requests!!
Objectives 2011 and 2012Conduct semiannual macroinvertebrate collections
at an increasing number of sitesWalk the river and identify major erosion sitesEstablish multiple ongoing data collection sitesEvaluate road crossingsApply for funding to address road crossing issuesMSU led hydrology team to evaluate sediment
depositions in Rapid River and Torch River
Most Recent Macroinvertebrate Results West of Aarwood Bridge – Poor (2012)East of Aarwood Bridge – Poor (2012)West of Freedom Park – Fair (2012)East of Freedom Park – Fair (2012)East of Kellogg Bridge – Fair (2012)East of Underhill Road – Poor (2010)Seven Bridges – Good (2012)Wood Road west of Rugg Pond – Fair (2012)Wood Road northeast of Rugg Pond – Poor (2012)Birch Street northeast of Rugg Pond – Poor
(2011)
Walking the RiverThe ESLA Teams walked the length of Rapid
River from Rugg Pond to Torch River.The length of this stretch by Valley Road is 8.1
miles, but walking the meandering River is probably twice that length or more.
Other than road crossings, only two erosion sites were identified as caused by human intervention, both in the 7 Bridges area.
Other erosion was natural and minor, such as under cutting of banks – vegetation on the banks was very heavy throughout this stretch of the River.
Establish Ongoing Data Collection SitesTransducer placed at the Rapid City Road
crossing – collects water level and temperature data every 30 minutes 24 hours a day.
4 staff gauges installed - Freedom Park, Wood Road NW, Seeley Road, and 131 Bridge – periodic measurements at these sites include water level, water velocity, suspended sediments, and dissolved oxygen.
Temperature loggers also installed at the above sites, plus Hansen Road and west of Aarwood Bridge.
Ponding behind an undersized culvertAt Priest Rd - headwaters
Very steepapproaches withwashed out berms
WOOD RD NE Improvements by KalkaskaCounty Road CommissionFall 2011
WOOD RD NEImprovements by KalkaskaCounty Road CommissionFall 2011
S.W.A.T. AnalysisPaul Richards Ph.D.
Soil Water Assessment ToolModel applies soil data and land cover data to
estimated sediment loading into the Rapid RiverMost sediment loading is occurring in:
Kellog Rd (subbasin 16) - 735 tons/yr/km2Rapid City Rd (subbain 17) - 220 tons/yr/kmUnderhill Rd (subbasin 15) - 163.6 tons/yr/km2
4,000 tons of sediment reach Rapid City Rd. each year
3,000 tons reach Aawood Bridge1,000 tons reach Torch River each year
Sediment and Nutrient Fluxes by Outlet
Rapid River
2012 work on the Rapid and Torch Rivers
Funders:Elk Skegemog Lakes AssociationThree Lakes Association
Field and lab associates from MSU: Lon Cooper, Blaze Budd, and Jordan Hein
Local volunteers: Dean Branson, Bob Kingon, Fred Sittel
Co-Investigators:Brett Fessell and Frank Dituri
Grand Traverse Band of Chippewa and Ottawa IndiansKevin Cronk
Tip of the Mitt Watershed CouncilPaul Richards
State University of New York, Brockport
Project Partners
Watershed sediment source modelingSurveying historical conditionField campaign
Channel depthsStream flowsStream and lake elevations
Make recommendations for management options
Project Elements
Bathymetry Data
Aerial Photo Analysis
1938 1998
Torch and Rapid Depths
Ü0 0.25 0.50.125 Miles
Water Depth
feet
0
0 - 2
2 - 3
3 - 4
4 - 6
6 - 8
8 - 10Ü0 0.1 0.20.05 Miles
Water Depth
feet
0
0 - 2
2 - 3
3 - 4
4 - 6
6 - 8
8 - 10
Upper Torch and Lower Rapid1950s
1938
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
Ü0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.80.1
Miles
Confluence of Torch and Rapid
0 330 660 1320 feet
1950s
1938
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
Lower Torch
1950s
1938
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
Ü0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.80.1
Miles
Torch River
Torch River Widening
Bank Widening (1990s - 1938)
feet
-99 - 0
1 - 25
26 - 50
51 - 75
76 - 100
101 - 150
151 - 364
Ü0 0.3 0.60.15 Miles
Widening and Depths
Water Depth
feet
0
0 - 2
2 - 3
3 - 4
4 - 6
6 - 8
8 - 10
Ü0 0.3 0.60.15 Miles
Sedimentation and bank erosion is a problem caused largely by human activities: damming Elk Lake, land use in watersheds, road crossings, engineered structures, etc.But these rivers always move sand!
It has taken over 100 years for the state of the system to reach this point
Any action must take into account all of the users and uses of the waterways and watersheds
Management Options: A Holistic Approach
Bank Stabilization with Large Woody Debris
Photos: US Forest Service
Managing Elk Lake’s Off-Season Level
579
588.9590.45 591.2
Elk/Skegemog Lakes
TorchRiver
Grass RIver
LakeBellaireTorch / Clam Lakes
LakeMichigan
Next StepsGrant to assist in improving road crossings (applied)Revision of S.W.A.T. Analysis with more data from
recordings and MSU researchRecommendations from MSU (final report in June)Consult with Traverse Bay Watershed Center and
Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council (grant opportunities)
Assess results of Grass River LWD project and implications for Rapid and Torch Rivers
September meeting of Friends of Rapid River - Update