ELi ON EARTH: The Red Cedar Watershed

The Red Cedar River extends approximately 51 miles, flowing through Fowlerville, Webberville, and Williamston before reaching East Lansing and its final destination, the Grand River in Lansing. The Red Cedar River watershed is approximately 472 square miles, a third of which is categorized as “urban” while the rest is predominantly agricultural.

A watershed is an area of land that drains to a common waterway. Rainfall, irrigation water, and groundwater within the Red Cedar River watershed all flow to the river and impact its water quality. Boundaries of a watershed differ from traditional political boundaries and are based on the flow of the river.

The Red Cedar is a thriving ecosystem and supports a variety of aquatic insects, amphibians, and fish, but water quality problems still exist. Pressures on the river include intensive agricultural land use where the river originates and urban development downstream, near the greater Lansing area.

Potential agricultural impacts on water quality include runoff of manure, fertilizers and pesticides, as well as excessive amounts of sedimentation which can negatively impact fish and insect communities. Urban development may potentially contribute excessive amounts of polluted runoff to a river, due in large part to the amount of impervious surfaces such as roads and buildings.

In 2012 a grant was issued to the Institute of Water Research at Michigan State University. The goal was to develop a watershed management plan to characterize existing water quality conditions and identify and prioritize potential problems. “Portions of the Red Cedar River watershed do not always meet water quality standards for E. coli bacteria and dissolved oxygen. The watershed management plan being developed will address these issues and other potential pollutants in the water,” says Ruth Kline-Robach, leader of the watershed management planning process for the Red Cedar River. 

Kline-Robach is an outreach specialist with the Department of Community Sustainability and the MSU Institute of Water Research. She has expertise in community-based water resources management issues, and provides training programs and technical assistance related to watershed management, wellhead protection and storm water management. 

“Watershed management planning is a framework for identifying where problems exist, defining actions that need to be taken, and evaluating successes. Plans strengthen existing programs and leverage local resources,” states Kline-Robach.

The Watershed Management Plan for the Red Cedar River is expected to be approved within the next six months. Two watersheds are located in East Lansing; the Red Cedar River watershed covers the southern portion of the city and the Looking Glass River watershed covers the northern portion. An updated watershed management plan is being drafted by the Shiawassee Conservation District for the Looking Glass River and is expected to be completed by 2018.

For more information about the Red Cedar River watershed and ways to reduce pollution visit: http://msu-water.msu.edu.