Rabbit River Watershed Project
The Upper Rabbit River Watershed, located in rural Allegan, Barry, and Ottawa Counties encompasses 91,210 acres of agricultural, urban and forested land. The Upper Rabbit River Watershed is approximately 60 percent agricultural land. The Rabbit River originates east of Wayland, MI, in Leighton Township, and flows westerly to join the Kalamazoo River at New Richmond, which then flows on to Lake Michigan. The Rabbit River is a State Designated Trout Stream, as are several of its tributaries. Very few rivers in southwestern Michigan are designated trout streams, making the Rabbit River a unique resource in our area.
Video of the Rabbit River Watershed
Streams in the Upper Rabbit River Watershed have suffered impairments due to human derived land based activities. Biosurveys conducted by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) indicate that habitat and biological communities in the Rabbit River and tributaries are significantly degraded due to nonpoint source pollution. Streams in the watershed are included on MDEQ non-attainment list. The Rabbit River Watershed is listed as one of eight watersheds on MDEQ’s Michigan’s Unified Watershed Assessment and Watershed Restoration Priorities. In addition, the Rabbit River Watershed is ranked third out of twenty-eight in the sate of Michigan as a Conservation Priority Area for the USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) to reduce non-point source pollution. Significant water quality impairments include degraded indigenous aquatic habitat and biotic diversity, reduced fish populations and flooding. Major NPS pollutants include sediment, excessive nutrients, and high flow. Occasional spikes in fecal coliform bacteria have also been noted, raising concerns about water-body contact. Development is steadily increasing in the watershed as open space and agricultural land is re-zoned to residential and industrial. Allegan County’s population has increased more than ten percent since 1990 (according to the 2000 census).
The goal of the RRWP is to improve water quality and reduce NPS pollution through implementation of land-use planning, zoning, ordinance review strategies and by increasing awareness of water quality and watershed issues through information and education.
For more information on water quality in your watershed please visit the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Webiste at: michigan.gov/non-point
Land Use Planning in the Rabbit River
The Land Use Planning Project has been a great success in the Rabbit River Watershed. The Project has cost-shared the development of numerous model ordinances which are available to all townships to adopt with funding from the Project.
The Project has funded the adoption of three Lake Funnel Ordinances with Leighton, Hopkins and Monterey Townships. The City of Wayland, Monterey, Leighton and Hopkins Township have all Water Overlay Ordinances. The Project is continuing to work with all seven townships to amend master plans and zoning ordinances to protect water quality. We hope to continue the Land Use Planning Project with other watersheds in the near future including the Gun River and Black River Watersheds.
You can view water quality model ordinances in the Land Use Download Section.
For more information on model ordinances and land use planning workshops please call the Allegan Conservation District.
Watershed Planning Links
Low Impact Development Information
EPA Low Impact Developement Movie
Watershed Planning
EPA Model Ordinances
The following are project successes implemented through the Watershed Project over the past three years
-Updated master plans to reflect water quality protection in all seven municipalities
-Riparian Overlay District Ordinance adopted by all seven municipalities within the Watershed
-Funnel Ordinance for water quality protection adopted by three municipalities
-How to use a Watershed Management Plan for Land Use Planning Document
-Water Quality Zoning in Review Document
-Municipality support for water quality improvements and protection
-Watershed signage, including educational signs at BMP sites and road signs to reference the geographic boundaries of the watershed
-Permanent Student Stream Monitoring Program within the Allegan County Math and Science Center and the Allegan Conservation District
-The Watershed Project partnered with Monterey Township to disseminate a Land Use Planning Survey for Water Quality. Results were in full support of preserving water quality and in full support of land preservation.
-Live macro-invertebrate education display
-Over $200,000 in cost-share funds have been provided to local producers and townships to implement best management practices to improve water quality.
Rabbit River Watershed Project Downloads
| Name | Description | Size | Downloads |
|---|---|---|---|
| OVERLAY_MODEL.pdf | Rabbit River Land Use Management | 75KB | 470 |
| WETLAND_MODEL.pdf | Rabbit River Land Use Management | 100KB | 450 |
| GENERAL_MODEL.pdf | Rabbit River Land Use Management | 281KB | 379 |
| MACRO_ID.pdf | Macro-invertebrate Identification Key | 392KB | 326 |
| LAND_REVIEW.pdf | Rabbit River Land Use Management | 118KB | 598 |
| RABBIT_WATERSHED.pdf | Rabbit River Watershed Map | 1MB | 330 |
| Rabbit River Watershed Video.wmv | Photo slideshow of the Rabbit River Watershed | 1MB | 67 |
| 1993_MDEQ_Hamilton_Dam_Inspection_Report.pdf | Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Dam Inspection Report (1993). | 1MB | 240 |