Pere Marquette Watershed: Natural Beauty with a Hidden Threat

 

Figure 1. Pere Marquette watershed location [1].

My hometown is located in the Pere Marquette watershed, on the northwest coast of Michigan. The watershed is 755 square miles and drains to Lake Michigan through the Pere Marquette River, a state Natural River and Blue Ribbon Trout Stream and federal Wild and Scenic River [2]. The scenery and natural beauty of the river can be attributed to the Huron-Manistee National Forest, a portion of which the river flows through.

Figure 2. Pere Marquette River [8]. 

State, federal, tribal and private groups are invested in the preservation of the river and watershed as it faces multiple threats. One of these is the presence of invasive species. The round goby, zebra mussel, quagga mussel, spiny waterflea, rusty crayfish, alewife and sea lamprey are a few aquatic invasive species that have been identified in the Pere Marquette watershed. Examples of invasive plants in the area include Eurasian watermilfoil, purple loosestrife, reed canary grass and curly-leaf pondweed [3]. These species outcompete native species and lead to other issues. The spiny waterflea, for example, feeds on daphnia, a predator for algae and a basis for the food chain. Reductions in daphnia populations result in algal blooms and fish population declines. Invasive species are managed by both the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the United States Forest Service. Every two years, invasive species are surveyed and treated if possible. Specifically for the sea lamprey, a barrier is in place in the Pere Marquette River to prevent increased spread [6].

The Pere Marquette watershed is faced with other threats. Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) have been identified in all water bodies within the watershed [4]. While it is no longer legal to manufacture PCBs in the United States, they were common for use in plastics, paints and other materials up until 1977 [5]. The PCBs in the Pere Marquette watershed are thought to enter the waterway through atmospheric deposition and then bioaccumulate in fish. They are a threat to human health as a suspected carcinogen and danger to reproduction. The EPA is working to identify sources of atmospheric loading of PCBs to the Great Lakes region. Additionally, biodegradation of PCBs is reported to be lowering PCB levels within the Great Lakes basin [5]. On a positive note, as of 2008, there were no commercial groundwater wells in the Pere Marquette watershed. Groundwater consumption is an area of concern in other areas of Northern Michigan [6]. Additionally, the Pere Marquette River was noted to have non-concerning concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen in a water quality monitoring survey completed in 2013 [7]. Finally, multiple groups are invested in preserving the natural beauty of the watershed, including the Pere Marquette River Restoration Committee and Pere Marquette Watershed Council [2].

Sources:

[1] “Watershed Basins.” GIS Open Data, Michigan DNR, 2019, https://gis-michigan.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/midnr::watershed-basins/explore?location=43.960516%2C-86.435044%2C12.98.

[2] “The Pere Marquette River Watershed.” River Restoration in Northern Michigan, Conservation Resource Alliance, 2019, http://www.northernmichiganstreams.org/pmriverws.asp.

[3] “NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species.” USGS, https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/SpeciesList.aspx?Group=&Status=0&FMB=0&pathway=0&Sortby=1&Size=50&HUCNumber=04060101.

[4] “Waterbody Report.” EPA, 2022, https://mywaterway.epa.gov/waterbody-report/21MICH/MI040601010509-01/2022

[5] “Total Maximum Daily Load for Polychlorinated Biphenyls for the Pere Marquette River Watershed including Pere Marquette Lake Lake, Mason, Oceana, and Newaygo Counties.” Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Water Bureau, 2008, https://attains.epa.gov/attains-public/api/documents/actions/21MICH/35495/104875. 

[6] “Comprehensive River Management Plan.” United States Department of Agriculture, United States Forest Service, 2008, https://www.rivers.gov/documents/plans/pere-marquette-plan.pdf.

[7] “MICHIGAN’S WATER CHEMISTRY MONITORING PROGRAM.” Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, 2013, http://www.flintrivergreen.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Michigans-Water-Chemistry-Monitoring-Program-Report-2005-_-2009.pdf. 

[8] “Pere Marquette River: Mapleleaf.” Land Conservancy of West Michigan, https://naturenearby.org/portfolio_page/explore/pere-marquette-river-mapleleaf/.