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Watershed Websites

Rouge River Watershed

The Rouge River Watershed in southeast Michigan is largely urbanized, spans approximately 466 square miles, is home to more than 1.4 million people in 48 communities and three counties, and is a tributary to the Detroit River. Multi-year federal grants from the United States Environmental Protection Agency and additional funding from local communities support this watershed-based cooperative effort between federal, state and local agencies, in partnership with watershed businesses and residents, to restore and protect the Rouge River. These efforts, known since 1992 as the Rouge River National Wet Weather Demonstration Project, have been an unqualified success using any of several measures of achievement. Major progress has been made in the control of pollution being discharged to the Rouge River, resulting in select water quality standards being met most of the time at many places in the watershed. Ecosystem health also continues to improve, as demonstrated by increased sightings of fish and wildlife along the river. The Rouge Project has a very extensive website that contains technical reports, maps, and other information covering two decades of Rouge River restoration activities.

Rouge Project PDF


In 2003, Rouge Watershed communities formed the Alliance of Rouge Communities (ARC) to guide Rouge River restoration efforts into the future. The purpose of the ARC is to provide an institutional mechanism to encourage watershed-wide cooperation and mutual support to meet water quality permit requirements and to restore beneficial uses of the Rouge River to the area residents. The ARC website provides technical reports, maps, and other information about ARC activities and events.

ARC website

Alliance of Downriver Watersheds (ADW)

The Alliance of Downriver Watersheds (ADW) formed in January 2007 and consists of 26 public agencies in the Ecorse Creek, Combined Downriver, and Lower Huron River Watersheds in southeast Michigan. The agencies and communities that comprise the ADW have demonstrated that there are substantial benefits that can be derived by joining together and cooperatively managing the rivers, lakes, and streams within the watersheds and in providing mutual assistance in meeting state water discharge permit requirements of the members. Visit the ADW website for technical reports, maps, detailed management plans, and other information about ADW activities and events.

ADW website

Lake St. Clair Subwatershed

In 2002, the Lake St. Clair Subwatershed Group formed to provide a forum for communities and counties to effectively and efficiently work to manage storm water from this 41 square mile area. The Lake St. Clair Subwatershed is part of the Clinton River Watershed and extends for 19 miles along the western shore of Lake St. Clair from the Clinton River Spillway in Harrison Township (Macomb County) to the outlet of Lake St. Clair near the City of Grosse Pointe Park (Wayne County) into the Detroit River. Information about this subwatershed and the group’s activities is available from the Lake St. Clair website.

Lake St. Clair website