Allegan Conservation District

About

The Gun River Watershed (Watershed) encompasses an area of 73,272 acres in Allegan and Barry Counties, Michigan. The Gun River flows from Gun Lake through agricultural land into the urbanizing area of Otsego Township, Allegan County, where it joins the Kalamazoo River.

A Natural Features Inventory was completed for the Watershed using information obtained from Michigan State University s Natural Features Inventory database, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR). The entire Watershed is located within the Michigan/Indiana Till Plains Ecoregion, which is characterized by irregular plains, oak-hickory and beech-maple forests, cropland and pastures, and gray-brown podzolic soils. The Watershed is a diverse area containing a variety of plant communities and land uses. The Watershed has been significantly altered from its presettlement conditions, primarily due to agricultural development. Many of the Watershed forests have been cleared and the wetlands drained. The Yankee Springs State Recreation Area contains relatively undisturbed natural areas, which have documented densities of endangered, threatened, and special concern plant and animal species.

The Gun River and its tributaries are impaired by nonpoint source (NPS) pollution. Previous studies have identified pathogens, phosphorus, polychlorinated biphenyls s (PCBs), mercury, nutrients, and poor macroinvertebrate communities as degrading the water quality in certain waterbodies within the Watershed. Other significant water quality impairments include degraded indigenous aquatic habitat, a decline of biotic diversity, and reduced fish populations caused by sedimentation.

Best Management Practices (BMPs) to address NPS pollutants present in the Watershed have been identified and quantified to estimate costs of reducing impairments in the Watershed. Estimates of the desired load reductions to meet water quality standards have been determined in designated areas and all significant water quality problems have been addressed. A schedule for implementing the BMPs was developed. The following goals have been developed for the Watershed:

Reduce soil erosion and sedimentation by 10%
Reduce nutrients by 10%
Establish a TotalMaximum Daily Load (TMDL) in designated areas
Stabilize stream flows to moderate hydrology and increase base flows
Manage obstructions
Attain water quality standards for Total Body Contact Recreation from May 1st to October 1st in Gun Lake
Maintain the coldwater fishery
Minimize fragmentation of habitat.

For more information on the Gun River Watershed Project please call the Allegan Conservation District.