Prepared in cooperation with the Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, and Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne Counties, Michigan

Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair 

River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Open-File Report 2007-1148

Operated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as part of the Lake St. 

Clair Regional Monitoring Project. The Regional Monitoring Project 

is a comprehensive assessment of the hydrological, 

biological, chemical, and physical state of the surface waters 

draining to Lake St. Clair. This study is a collaborative effort 

among Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne Counties and is 

funded by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

Information for this and other project stations is available at http://mi.water.usgs.gov

For additional information, contact the USGS at 517-887-8903.

Stream Monitoring Station
Cooperative Water-Resources 

Monitoring in the St. Clair 

River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan

By Stephen J. Rheaume, Brian P. Neff, and Stephen P. Blumer

Prepared in cooperation with the Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, and Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne Counties, Michigan

Open-File Report 2007-1148

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Mark D. Myers, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2007

For more information about the USGS and its products:

Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS

World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/

Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply 

endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to 

reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report.

Suggested citation:

Stephen J. Rheaume, Brian P. Neff, and Stephen P. Blumer, 2007, Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. 

Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1148, 41 p.

Cover photograph. The Clinton River stream-flow and water-quality monitoring station operated by the Lake St. Clair 

Regional Monitoring Project partners. (Photograph by Charles Whited; U.S. Geological Survey.)
Contents

Abstract...........................................................................................................................................................1

Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1

What Is Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring? ..............................................................................1

How Are Streamflow And Flood Magnitudes Monitored?......................................................................3

How Is Water Quality Monitored?...............................................................................................................3

Ground Water........................................................................................................................................3

Surface Water.......................................................................................................................................5

Inland Lakes...........................................................................................................................................6

Has Monitoring Detected Pesticides In Tributary Streams? ................................................................10

Can Monitoring Address The Sources Of Mercury In Fish?.................................................................11

Is Rapid Urbanization Causing Water-Quality Problems In The Basin? .............................................12

The Future Of Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring....................................................................12

References Cited..........................................................................................................................................13

Appendix A. Setting, monitoring history, and watershed characteristics data for 

Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project streamflow and water-quality 

monitoring sites ..............................................................................................................................15

Figures

1. Map showing Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair River, and major tributary drainage basins .........2

2. Image showing a screen capture from WaterWatch of real-time streamflow (shown 

for February 2, 2007) compared to historical streamflow in Michigan................................4

3. Graph showing seventy-two years of daily-average streamflow from the U.S. 

Geological Survey Clinton River streamflow-gaging station, recorded at Moravian 

Drive in Mt. Clemens, Michigan, from 1934 to 2006 ................................................................5

4. Photograph of a newly installed USGS monitoring well used for measuring 

ground-water levels and water-quality in Michigan ..............................................................6

5. Map showing locations of selected wells in southeastern Michigan and their 

concentrations of arsenic ...........................................................................................................8

6. Map showing streamflow and water-quality data-collection sites of the Lake St. Clair 

Regional Monitoring Project, Michigan....................................................................................9

7. Photograph of one of Michigan’s 11,000 inland lakes..............................................................10

8. Photograph of a USGS scientist measuring the transparency of lake water using a 

Secchi disk...................................................................................................................................10

9. Map showing monitored lakes within the Clinton River Basin, Michigan............................11

10. Photograph showing pesticides being applied on residential lawns, in homes, and in 

gardens.........................................................................................................................................12

11. Photograph of pesticides being applied on agricultural lands ..............................................12

12. The Michigan Department of Community Health special advisory guide for selected

inland lakes in Michigan, which is based on the presence of toxic chemicals that

are known to bioaccumulate in fish ........................................................................................13

Table

1. Site number, name, and location of Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project waterquality sites in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan.........................................7

iii
Multiply By To obtain

Length

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m)

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km)

Area

square mile (mi2

) 2.590 square kilometer (km2)

Flow rate

cubic foot per second (ft3

/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second (m3/s)

cubic foot per second per square mile 

[(ft3/s)/mi2]

0.01093 cubic meter per second per 

square kilometer [(m3/s)/km2]

Hydraulic gradient

foot per mile (ft/mi) 0.1894 meter per kilometer (m/km)

Concentrations

microliter (μL) 0.001 milliliter (mL)

milligrams per liter (mg/L) 1,000 micrograms per microliter (μg/

μL)

Temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) may be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) as follows:

°F=(1.8×°C)+32

Specific conductance is given in microsiemens per centimeter (μS/cm).

Concentrations of chemical constituents in water are given either in milligrams per liter (mg/L) 

or micrograms per liter (μg/L).

Abbreviations

LSCRMP – Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project

MDEQ – Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

MDN – Mercury Deposition Network

NAWQA – National Water-Quality Assessment Program

NWIS – National Water Information System

USGS – U.S. Geological Survey

Conversion Factors, Abbreviated Water-Quality Units, and 

Abbreviations

iv
Abstract

As part of the Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring 

Project, this report describes numerous cooperative waterresources monitoring efforts conducted in the St. Clair 

River/Lake St. Clair Basin over the last 100 years. Cooperative monitoring is a tool used to observe and record changes 

in water quantity and quality over time. This report describes 

cooperative efforts for monitoring streamflows and flood magnitudes, past and present water-quality conditions, significant 

human-health threats, and flow-regime changes that are the 

result of changing land use. Water-resources monitoring is a 

long-term effort that can be made cost-effective by leveraging 

funds, sharing data, and avoiding duplication of effort. Without long-term cooperative monitoring, future water-resources 

managers and planners may find it difficult to establish and 

maintain public supply, recreational, ecological, and esthetic 

water-quality goals for the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin.

Introduction

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with 

state, county, and local governments, has been monitoring and 

assessing water resources in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair 

Basin since 1904 (fig.1). The waters of the area are an important part of Michigan’s cultural heritage, and they support an 

economy based largely on recreation, agriculture, and manufacturing. Additionally, the Great Lakes and the rivers that 

connect them are important water-supply and power-generating resources for all of the surrounding states and Canadian 

Provinces.

Water-resources monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake 

St. Clair Basin is essential to our understanding of streamflows 

and flood magnitudes, current water-quality conditions, significant human-health threats, and flow-regime changes owing 

to changing land use. This information can aid water-resources 

managers and planners in establishing and maintaining public 

supply, recreational, ecological, and esthetic water-quality 

goals for the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin.

This summary of cooperative monitoring efforts in the 

St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin was initiated in 2003 by 

the Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project (LSCRMP), in 

cooperation with the Michigan Department of Environmental 

Quality (MDEQ); the Counties of Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, 

and Wayne; and the USGS.

What Is Cooperative Water-Resources 

Monitoring?

A cooperative water-resources monitoring program may 

involve a joint effort by many groups to observe and record 

changes in water quantity and quality over time. Cooperative 

monitoring programs may be charged with collecting the data 

necessary to document appreciable changes in the aquifers, rivers, lakes, and streams in an area and with making that data available to the public. Cooperative monitoring programs save money 

when state, county, and local governments leverage funds, share 

data, and avoid duplication of effort while working together to 

protect water resources.

Cooperative monitoring efforts can have many benefits to 

the citizens of an area, and may result in protection of the source 

and quality of drinking-water supplies, forecasting flood occurrences and severity, making swimming areas safer, and monitoring the level of toxic chemicals in the fish that are consumed. 

Cooperative monitoring data allows many questions to be 

answered about current water resources and allows scientists to 

estimate future water-supply conditions, which provides governments and citizens more time to prepare for changing waterresources availability. In the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, 

cooperative monitoring also can help scientists determine if 

recent water-level declines in Lake St. Clair and the Great Lakes 

are part of natural global climate fluctuations or if the system is 

changing on a more permanent basis.

Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair 

River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan

By Stephen J. Rheaume, Brian P. Neff, and Stephen P. Blumer
LAKE

ST. CLAIR

LAKE

HURON

LAKE

ERIE

LAPEER

COUNTY

TUSCOLA

COUNTY

SANILAC

COUNTY

OAKLAND

COUNTY

WAYNE

COUNTY

ST. CLAIR

COUNTY

MACOMB

COUNTY

Sydenham

River

Basin

Thames River

Basin

Detroit

River

St. Clair

River

ONTARIO

(CANADA)

Saginaw

Bay

Black River

Basin

Pine River

Basin

Belle River

Basin

Clinton River

Basin

Belle

Island

Detroit

St. Clair

Delta

MICHIGAN

(UNITED STATES)

83°30' 83° 82°30' 82°

42°

42°30'

43°

43°30'

LAKE MICHIGAN

LAKE SUPERIOR

MICHIGAN

Study

area

Base from U.S. Geological Survey Digital Line Graphics, 1:2,000,000, 1998

0 5 10 15 MILES

0 5 10 15 KILOMETERS

Deckerville

Sandusky Carsonville

Applegate

Croswell

Brown

City

Capac Abbottsford

Emmett Port Huron

Marysville

St. Clair

Marine City

Roberts Landing

Memphis

Richmond

New Haven

New Baltimore

Algonac

Mt.

Sterling Clemens

Heights St. Clair

Shores

Warren

Grosse

Pointe

Rochester

Troy

Pontiac

Imlay

City

Dryden Belle River

Pine River

Swan Cr.

Salt

River

Clinton R.

Black

River

St. Clair County

International Airport

Sydenham

River

Thames River

LAKE HURON LAKE

ERIE

Figure 1. Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair River, and major tributary drainage basins.

 Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan
How Are Streamflow And Flood 

Magnitudes Monitored?

The USGS, with its many local, county, state, tribal, and 

federal cooperators, monitors streamflow with continuous 

recorders at 186 locations throughout Michigan (Blumer and 

others, 2005). Streamflow records are compiled from periodic (15-minute to 1-hour) observations of streamflow. Most 

streamflow-gaging stations are operated on a “real-time” basis, 

with data displayed on the Internet (fig. 2).

Real-time streamflow data can be obtained from the 

USGS web site at http:// water.usgs.gov/waterwatch. Only 

stations having at least 30 years of record are displayed on the 

WaterWatch map; however, all active real-time stations have 

data available at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis. Although the 

general appearance of the WaterWatch map changes very little 

from one hour to the next, individual sites may change rapidly 

in response to major rain events or to reservoir releases. Users 

of these data include water-resource planners and managers, 

hydrologists, environmental and structural engineers, local 

boaters, and fishermen.

Historical USGS streamflow data also are available 

online at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis. For example, the 

NWIS system has a record of daily average streamflow in the 

Clinton River, recorded at Moravian Drive in Mt. Clemens, 

Mich., from 1934 to 2006 (fig. 3). The annual daily mean flow 

at the streamflow-gaging station on the Clinton River in Mt. 

Clemens is 567 cubic feet per second (ft3/s); the lowest daily 

mean flow (25 ft3/s) occurred August 24, 1934; the maximum 

peak flow (21,200 ft3/s) occurred April 6, 1947; and the recent 

(May 24, 2004) flood on the Clinton River reached a maximum peak flow of 13,700 ft3

/s.

How Is Water Quality Monitored?

Ground Water

Although most urban residents and businesses in the St. 

Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin are supplied with water from 

the Great Lakes through their local governments (Sweat and 

others, 2003), rural populations still largely depend on ground 

water for their water-supply needs. Evolving and competing demands for these resources can lead to local shortages, 

decreases in ground-water quality, or impairments to wildlife 

resources.

Numerous cooperative ground-water-resources studies 

have been conducted to characterize aquifers in Michigan 

(fig. 4). The results of these research efforts have provided 

vital information to water managers on the ground-water 

resources available for future economic development in the 

area. (Michigan historic ground-water level data are available 

at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/OFR2006-1057.)

In 2005, the MDEQ, Michigan State University, and the 

USGS worked together to produce a “Ground Water Inventory and Map” that documented these resources for the entire 

state (available at http://gwmap.rsgis.msu.edu). This inventory showed that most of the rural population in the St. Clair 

River/Lake St. Clair Basin draws ground water from unconsolidated glacial deposits (U.S. Geological Survey, Michigan 

Department of Environmental Quality, and Michigan State 

University Institute of Water Research, 2005). These deposits 

vary in thickness and consist largely of sands and gravels in 

the northern and western part of the basin and clay and clayrich till in the southeastern section. High concentrations of 

arsenic and nitrate occur in some wells to the north and west; 

high concentrations of sulfate, iron, chloride, and dissolved 

solids are known problems to the south. Bedrock underlying 

the unconsolidated deposits consists of shale, sandstone, and 

limestone and the water is often highly mineralized, especially 

with increasing depth.

In 1996, the USGS, in cooperation with the MDEQ and 

the Health Departments of nine southeast Michigan counties (Genesee, Huron, Lapeer, Livingston, Oakland, Sanilac, 

Shiawassee, Tuscola, and Washtenaw), began a study of the 

factors controlling concentrations of arsenic in ground water 

in southeastern Michigan (Haack and Treccani, 2000). Arsenic 

is a common, naturally occurring element in the earth’s crust. 

Arsenic in ground water is often a result of arsenic-bearing 

minerals dissolving naturally over time. Historical well-water 

data for southeastern Michigan indicated that where concentrations of arsenic in ground water were elevated, wells were 

commonly, though not exclusively, completed in the Marshall 

Sandstone, which is below glacial materials in part of the 

How Is Water Quality Monitored? 

2006

What is NWIS?

NWIS (National Water Information System) is the primary way the 

USGS makes its data available to the public. The NWISWeb software is 

designed to retrieve data from the distributed databases and transmit 

the data to multiple remote web servers for display. The following is 

an example of data downloaded from NWISWeb.

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis
Figure 2. Screen capture from WaterWatch of real-time streamflow (shown for February 2, 2007) compared to historical streamflow in Michigan.

 Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan

study area (fig. 5). As of January 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has required that all public-water 

systems maintain arsenic levels lower than 10 micrograms per 

liter (μg/L).

 In 2000, a National Water-Quality Assessment 

(NAWQA) study was done in the outskirts of the Detroit metropolitan area (Macomb, Oakland, Livingston, and Washtenaw 

Counties) to determine how recent residential development 

has affected ground-water quality (Thomas, 2000). The study 

showed that young, shallow ground water (less than 25 ft 

below land surface) had appreciably higher median concentrations of nitrate, chloride, and dissolved solids than older, 

deeper waters. No health-related drinking-water standards 

were exceeded in samples from deeper domestic wells; 

however, shallow ground-water quality appears to have been 

affected by septic-system effluent and infiltration of stormwater runoff from paved surfaces. The study indicated that 

water-quality problems in the deeper ground-water system 

may appear over time.

Explanation - Percentile classes

Low High Not-ranked

Much below

normal

Below

normal

Normal Above 

normal

Much above 

normal

 <10 10-24 25-75 76-90 >90
Surface Water

Protection of public-water supplies is a crucial issue in 

the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin. A recent (2004) study 

was conducted by the MDEQ, Detroit Water and Sewerage 

Department, American Water Works Association Research 

Foundation, and the USGS to identify and monitor sourcewater areas for 13 public-water-supply intakes on the St. 

Clair-Detroit River Waterway (Holtschlag and Koschik, 2004). 

These source-water areas were identified by use of hydrodynamic simulation and particle-tracking analyses to help protect 

public supplies from contamination spills and discharges. 

Local, state, and federal agencies are using information from 

this study to better protect public-water supplies for 4 million 

southeastern Michigan residents.

In 2004, as part of the LSCRMP, the USGS and 

LSCRMP project partners (MDEQ; the Counties of Macomb, 

Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne; and Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc.) installed and operated 13 continuous 

streamflow-gaging and water-quality-monitoring stations at 

the 24 discrete water-quality-sampling sites (table 1). Streamflow-gaging stations were operated for 17 months (continuously from June 1, 2004 through October 31, 2005), and 

water-quality monitors were operated for 12 months (intermittently during June-October 2004 and April-October 2005). 

The water-quality monitors measured water temperature, 

dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance. These waterquality characteristics can be used to characterize the condition of the watershed upstream of the monitoring point.

Adding continuous streamflow gages and water-quality 

monitors to the LSCRMP study added a new dimension to the 

understanding of what chemical constituents were present in 

the water or when they began to appear (see appendix A). For 

example, the LSCRMP monitors showed that concentrations 

of dissolved oxygen measured at various points on the lower 

section of the Clinton River were very low during summer low 

flows and that the combination of low concentrations of dissolved oxygen and high water temperatures caused conditions 

that were extremely stressful to fish. Likewise, data from the 

LSCRMP monitor at Paint Creek (USGS streamflow-gaging 

station 04161540) showed that the creek was too warm during 

the summer months to support a healthy coldwater fishery. 

In addition, data from the LSCRMP monitor at Clinton River 

near Fraser (USGS streamflow-gaging station 04164000) 

showed that the high specific-conductance values, which were 

observed only during the winter months, may have been the 

result of runoff from salt application on roads and parking lots.

During 2004-2005, Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc. (ECT), working in cooperation with the LSCRMP, 

collected and analyzed automatic and manual grab samples 

during 19 “dry weather” low-flow periods at 24 stream locations (fig. 6 and table 1); 14 “wet weather” storm events at 13 

0

1934 1938 1942 1946 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006

USGS 04165500 Clinton River at Moravian Drive at Mt. Clemens, MI

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

1934 1938 1942 1946 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006

Period of Record 1934 - 2006

DAILY DISCHARGE, CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

Figure 3. Seventy-two years of daily-average streamflow from the U.S. Geological Survey Clinton River 

streamflow-gaging station, recorded at Moravian Drive in Mt. Clemens, Michigan, from 1934 to 2006.

How Is Water Quality Monitored? 
continuous streamflow-gaging and water-quality-monitoring 

stations; and 5 rainfall stations in the St. Clair River/Lake 

St. Clair Basin (DeMaria and others, 2006). Samples were 

analyzed for E. coli, total organic carbon, chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, total suspended 

solids, total dissolved solids, hardness, ortho phosphate, total 

phosphorus, ammonia-N, nitrate-N, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, 

chloride, aluminum, and oil and grease. ECT reported the following major findings (DeMaria and others, 2006):

• “Point sources, which generally are thought to be 

well controlled by regulation, appear to be affecting stream water quality; this is especially true 

for phosphorus and nitrogen in the Clinton River 

Basin. The sources of nutrients in the Clinton 

River are likely associated with fertilizer, as well 

as illicit connections to storm sewers. The Black, 

Belle, and Pine Rivers have somewhat lower concentrations of nutrients than the Clinton River, but 

are still elevated.

• E. coli values were appreciably higher in U.S. 

streams draining to St. Clair River/Lake St. 

Clair during wet-weather conditions (especially 

in the Clinton River Basin). Suggested sources 

were sanitary sewer overflows, failing septic 

fields, resuspended sediments, and contaminated 

storm-water runoff containing illicit discharges 

and animal waste. Contamination owing to fecal 

bacteria was far less common in the Black, Belle, 

and Pine Rivers than in the Clinton River. Generally, these rivers met full-body-contact standards 

in dry-weather conditions.

• Chloride and some of the nutrients were found in 

higher concentrations in the more developed urban 

areas of the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin. 

These higher concentrations appear to be associated with road salt and residential fertilizer.

• Dissolved oxygen, total phosphorus, ortho phosphate, suspended solids, chloride, hardness, pH, 

total dissolved solids, and aluminum varied on a 

seasonal basis throughout the St. Clair River/Lake 

St. Clair Basin.”

Data from these dry-weather and wet-weather sampling 

events are available on the LSCRMP web site at www.lakestclairdata.net.

Inland Lakes

Michigan has more than 11,000 inland lakes that provide 

countless recreation opportunities (fig. 7) and are an important 

resource that help make tourism and recreation a $15-billion-dollar per-year industry in the state (Stynes, 2002). The 

MDEQ and the USGS jointly monitor water quality in Michigan’s inland lakes (Minnerick, 2004). Emerging water-quality 

problems in lakes include nutrient enrichment, which leads 

to accelerated eutrophication and the occurrence of nuisance 

plant conditions or exotic species. Early warning through an 

effective monitoring program allows actions to be taken before 

major problems develop.

The USGS also has been working with the MDEQ Inland 

Lakes Program to use LANDSAT satellite imagery to assess 

the water quality of Michigan’s inland lakes that are not being 

sampled. Remote sensing can extend existing water-quality 

measurements, specifically lake transparency and chlorophylla measurements, to predict water quality of unsampled lakes 

(fig. 8). Using this satellite technology provides a cost-effective method to characterize the water-quality in a large number 

of lakes over time to detect changes and identify trends (Fuller 

and others, 2004).

In 2005, as part of the LSCRMP and the MDEQ Inland 

Lakes Program, the USGS assessed trophic status and baseline 

water-quality characteristics in four inland lakes in the Clinton 

River watershed: Sylvan Lake, Lake Angelus, Lake Orion, and 

Lake Lakeville (fig. 9; Minnerick, 2005). The deepest location 

of each lake was selected for sampling. Sylvan Lake and Lake 

Angelus were sampled during the spring and late summer, and 

Lake Orion and Lake Lakeville were sampled only during late 

summer. Spring sampling was conducted prior to lake thermal stratification; summer sampling was conducted after lake 

stratification. Dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance, 

and water temperature were profiled with depth to document 

general water-quality characteristics to determine if thermal 

stratification was present. Major nutrients were analyzed in 

Figure 4. A newly installed USGS monitoring well 

used for measuring ground-water levels and waterquality in Michigan. (Photograph by Charles Whited; 

U.S. Geological Survey.)

 Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan
ECT waterquality site 

and map 

number

USGS streamflow 

and monitoring 

site number

Site name Latitude Longitude

BL01 Black River near Port Huron, Mi 42.9900 -82.5378

BL02 Mill Creek near Avoca, Mi 43.0544 -82.7347

BL03 04159492 Black River near Jeddo, Mi 43.1525 -82.6242

BL04 Black River at Port Huron, Mi 42.9944 -82.4450

BE01 04160625 Belle River near Marine City, Mi 42.7683 -82.5122

BE02 Belle River at Memphis, Mi 42.9008 -82.7692

SC01A Bunce Creek (A) near South Park, Mi 42.9322 -82.4658

SC01 Bunce Creek near South Park, Mi 42.9314 -82.4639

SC02 04160635 St. Clair River near Roberts Landing, Mi 42.4032 -82.3039

SC03A Salt Creek at 24 Mile Road near New Baltimore, Mi 42.6903 -82.7673

SC03 Salt Creek At 23 Mile Road near New Baltimore, Mi 42.6758 -82.7708

SC04 Swan Creek At Shortcut Road near Fairhaven, Mi 42.6939 -82.6486

SC05 Beaubien Creek near Starville, Mi 42.6733 -82.5875

PR01 04160398 Pine River near Marysville, Mi 42.8586 -82.5381

CR01 04165559 Clinton River near Mt. Clemens, Mi 42.5964 -82.8261

CR02 04165557 Clinton River Bypass At Mouth at Mt. Clemens, Mi 42.5614 -82.8453

CR03 04164980 Middle Branch Clinton River near Waldenburg, Mi 42.6428 -82.9333

CR04 04164000 Clinton River near Fraser, Mi 42.5772 -82.9514

CR05 North Branch Clinton River near Mt. Clemens, Mi 42.6292 -82.8903

CR06 04163030 Red Run at Warren, Mi 42.5378 -83.0058

CR07 04161820 Clinton River at Sterling Heights, Mi 42.6144 -83.0267

CR08 Stony Creek near Washington, Mi 42.7153 -83.0919

CR09 04161000 Clinton River at Auburn Hills, Mi 42.6333 -83.2244

CR10 04161540 Paint Creek at Rochester, Mi 42.6883 -83.1431

CR11 04160900 Clinton River near Drayton Plains, Mi 42.6603 -83.3903

Table 1. Site number, name, and location of Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project water-quality sites in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, 

Michigan.

[ECT, Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc.; USGS, U.S. Geological Survey; MI, Michigan; map numbers located on figure 6]

How Is Water Quality Monitored? 
samples collected from 3 ft below the surface, mid-depth, and 

3 ft above the lake bottom; selected ions were analyzed from 

the mid-depth sample; and chlorophyll-a samples were analyzed from the photic zone, the area where there is sufficient 

light for photosynthesis.

Macrophyte surveys were made in conjunction with the 

summer sampling of Sylvan Lake and Lake Angelus. These 

were not detailed surveys, but were a tool to help determine 

if the characteristics of the plant community within the lakes 

were dominated by macrophytes or phytoplankton. This, along 

with knowledge of the density of these types of plants, can 

help identify potential users of nutrients. Shallow lakes with 

abundant rooted aquatic plants and attached algae may have 

lower nutrient levels during the summer months than other 

productive lakes with less aquatic-plant growth. Aquatic plants 

can act as a nutrient “lock box”, utilizing large amounts of 

nutrients during the growing season and later releasing the 

nutrients during decomposition.

Summer lake-transparency measurements and concentrations of chlorophyll-a and total phosphorus (measured 3 ft 

below the lake surface) are used in the calculations of the 

trophic-productivity status of each lake. The trophic scale 

characterizes lakes with low biological activity as “oligotrophic”, lakes with moderate biological activity as “mesotrophic”, lakes that are very biologically active as “eutrophic”, 

and the highest end of the scale, “hypereutrophic”, is used to 

characterize lakes with excessive biological activity.

Sylvan Lake and Lake Angelus exhibited oligotrophic/

mesotrophic characteristics, meaning that the lakes generally 

were deep with low productivity; however, aquatic plants have 

been storing much of the nutrients in both lakes. Plankton 

blooms in either lake have been rare.

Lake Orion and Lake Lakeville exhibited mesotrophic/

eutrophic characteristics, meaning in contrast to oligotrophic 

lakes, these lakes generally are shallower, have greater primary productivity, vegetation is more abundant, and plankton 

blooms are common during summer months.

Figure 5. Locations of selected wells in southeastern Michigan and their concentrations of arsenic. (From Haack, S.K. 

and Treccani, S.L., 2000.)

 Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan
LAKE

ST. CLAIR

LAKE HURON

LAPEER

COUNTY

TUSCOLA

COUNTY

SANILAC

COUNTY

OAKLAND

COUNTY

WAYNE

COUNTY

ST. CLAIR

COUNTY

MACOMB

COUNTY

St. Clair

River

Saginaw

Bay

Black River

Basin

Pine River

Basin

Belle River

Basin

Clinton River

Basin

St. Clair

Delta

0 5 10 MILES

0 5 10 KILOMETERS

Base from U.S. Geological Survey Digital Line Graphics, 1:2,000,000, 1998

83°30' 83° 82°30'

43°30'

43°

42°30'

Clinton River

Belle

River

Pine River Black

River

BL03

BL02

BL01

BL04

BE02

SC01A

PR01

BE01

SC05 SC02

SC04 SC03A

CR03 SC03

CR05

CR01

CR02

CR08

CR10

CR11

CR09

CR07

CR04

CR06

Sylvan

Lake

Lake

Angelus

Lake/Pond

Stream/Canal/Drain

EXPLANATION

BL02

Water-quality site and

 streamflow gage with

 identifier number

Water-quality site with

 identifier number

BL03

Figure 6. Streamflow and water-quality data-collection sites of the Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring 

Project, Michigan.

How Is Water Quality Monitored? 
Has Monitoring Detected Pesticides In 

Tributary Streams?

Pesticides primarily are used in agriculture to control 

noxious weeds and eliminate insects on crops. Pesticides also 

are applied on golf courses; on residential lawns; along roadways; along railroads; in commercial forests; and in buildings, 

homes, and gardens (fig. 10). These pesticides often end up 

in surface and ground waters and can pose significant health 

threats at high concentrations.

In 1985, as part of an assessment of pesticide loads from 

tributaries in the Lake Erie-Lake St. Clair Basin (Richards, 

1994), 125 samples were collected by Heidelberg College at 

4 sites (near the mouth of the Belle, Black, Clinton, and Pine 

Rivers) and analyzed for 10 different pesticides. All 10 pesticides were found at all the sites. Atrazine was detected in 103 

of 125 samples. The four greatest concentrations of pesticides 

were detected near the mouth of the Clinton River.

From 1996 through 1998, water quality in the Lake 

Erie-Lake St. Clair Basin was studied as part of the USGS 

NAWQA Program (Myers and others, 2000). During this 

study, the USGS collected 65 samples for the analyses of 44 

pesticides and 3 degradates at 2 sites (Black and Clinton Rivers). Atrazine and metolachlor were detected in all samples. 

The highest concentration of metolachlor (37.3 μg/L) and 

atrazine (7.32 μg/L) were found in the Black River on June 26, 

1997. Forty-seven of the 50 highest concentrations of pesticides were found at the Black River site.

In 2005, the MDEQ and USGS conducted an initial 

screening study for pesticides in surface waters throughout 

the state. The study utilized an inexpensive screening technique that detected atrazine, simazine, metolachlor, diazinon, 

and chlorpyrifos in 321 stream-water samples from Michigan 

(Fogarty and Duris, 2007). Results of this study showed at 

least one pesticide was detected in 90 percent of the samples, 

and 33 percent of the samples had detectable concentrations 

of 3 different pesticides. In general, the highest concentrations occurred in samples from agricultural sites (fig. 11), but 

median detectable concentrations were similar for agricultural 

and urban land-use sites. In addition, seasonal trends also were 

observed for atrazine, simazine, and chlorpyrifos. The results 

of this land-use study will help determine which surface 

waters in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin are more 

likely to be affected by pesticides and the time of year this is 

most likely to occur. Further studies addressing land characteristics such as land use, soil permeability, tile drainage, and 

runoff potential in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin 

could help to better understand the transport of pesticides from 

application areas to streams and could aid in focusing monitoring efforts to areas of most concern.

Figure 7. One of Michigan’s 11,000 inland lakes. (Photograph by 

Sharon Baltusis; U.S. Geological Survey.)

Figure 8. USGS scientist measuring the transparency of lake water using a Secchi disk. (Photograph by Rick Hubbell; U.S. Geological Survey.)

10 Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan
Can Monitoring Address The Sources 

Of Mercury In Fish?

Certain kinds and sizes of fish from Lake St. Clair, the 

Great Lakes, and some of Michigan’s inland lakes and streams 

contain levels of toxic chemicals, including mercury, that 

may be harmful to humans if those fish are eaten too often. 

The Michigan Department of Community Health has issued a 

special advisory for selected water bodies in Michigan owing 

to mercury (fig. 12).

Mercury is a persistent, bioaccumulative neurotoxin and 

is a naturally occurring element that is mostly locked up in 

minerals within the earth’s crust. However, mercury is continually released to the atmosphere as a result of many human 

activities, most notably burning coal to generate electricity. 

Mercury in power-plant emissions settles out of the atmosphere and enters ecosystems, sometimes hundreds of miles 

away from the source, and is found even in the most remote 

parts of the world. Not all mercury in the environment causes 

problems. The metal must undergo a chemical reaction known 

as methylation, be transported, and be concentrated through 

bioaccumulation before it becomes a significant problem for 

humans. The factors governing these processes are not fully 

understood and are a focus of current research efforts across 

the United States.

The USGS has recently (2006) evaluated spring and 

fall concentrations of total mercury and methyl mercury at 

16 sites in the Clinton River Basin (Sheridan Haack, USGS, 

written commun.). The sites were chosen to reflect different 

types of land use to obtain more comprehensive information 

on the effect of natural, urban, and agricultural settings on 

mercury transport to streams. In addition, to determine the 

effect of sediments on mercury transport in the Clinton River, 

the amounts of total and methyl mercury in the dissolved 

and particulate forms were measured monthly at a site near 

Sterling Heights, Mich. These analyses will allow for more 

comprehensive evaluation of mercury origins, behavior, and 

696

696

75

94

94 75

53

59

53

59 59

24

24

75

24

24

15

Almont

Romeo

Utica

Sterling

Heights

Madison

Heights

Mount

Clemens Troy

Pontiac

Lake

Orion

Lake

Angelus

Sylvan

Lake

Lakeville

Sylvan

Lake

Lake

Angelus

Lake

Orion

Lakeville

Lake

LAKE

ST. CLAIR

LAPEER COUNTY

OAKLAND COUNTY

ST. CLAIR COUNTY

MACOMB COUNTY

MACOMB COUNTY

WAYNE COUNTY

0 4 8 MILES

0 4 8 KILOMETERS

OAKLAND COUNTY

83°15' 83° 82°45'

42°45'

42°30'

Clinton River basin

Lake

Lake sampled in 2004

Lake sampled in 2003

Stream

Primary hard-surface road

Secondary hard-surface road

EXPLANATION

Base from Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Land and Water Management Division, Hydrologic Studies Unit, 1998

83°30'

MICHIGAN

Clinton

River

Basin

Figure 9. Monitored lakes within the Clinton River Basin, Michigan.

Can Monitoring Address The Sources Of Mercury In Fish? 11
potential ecological effects in the Clinton River Basin, and will 

be useful to water-resources managers for a variety of regulatory and remedial activities in the region.

As an example of cooperative mercury monitoring, the 

USGS installed a Mercury Deposition Network (MDN, http://

nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/sites/ siteinfo.asp?net=MDN&id=MI31) 

station near Sterling Heights, Mich. This is only the second 

station installed in Michigan and one of few located in an 

urban area. Weekly wet-deposition samples have been collected by the Macomb County Health Department, and the 

analyses of these samples have been paid for by USGS. Data 

are available at the web site above and can be used to evaluate mercury entering the watershed owing to atmospheric 

deposition. This information may be useful to decision makers seeking to address the source and magnitude of mercury 

contamination in the Clinton River Basin and throughout the 

Great Lakes.

Is Rapid Urbanization Causing WaterQuality Problems In The Basin?

Changes in land cover associated with different uses of 

the land can drive changes in water quality, water availability, 

and aquatic habitat. Understanding the relation between land 

use and water resources is critical for water-resources managers. In 2004, Oakland County and the USGS completed 

a cooperative project that studied the effects of rapid urbanization on the water resources of Oakland County (Aichele, 

2005). The population of Oakland County has grown steadily 

since about 1900, averaging approximately 100,000 new 

residents per decade. Despite considerable expansion of urban 

areas, the study found streamflow characteristics at most sites 

have not been affected. However, at several sites in areas of 

the county that are both supplied by ground water and sewered (northern and western parts of the county), statistically 

significant downward trends in low-flow stream discharges 

have been noted from 1970 to 2003, which are likely related 

to increasing ground-water use. Stream chemistry, compared to a previous study of county water resources (Twenter 

and Knutilla, 1972), has generally improved, with marked 

decreases in concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfate. Concentrations of chloride, however, have increased dramatically in river and lake water across the county. Detectable 

concentrations of personal-care products, flame retardants, 

and petroleum-fuel compounds were identified at all river sites 

sampled (Aichele, 2005).

The Future Of Cooperative WaterResources Monitoring

Managing the quantity and quality of water available for 

water supply, recreation, ecology, and esthetic value will be a 

continuing challenge for residents and decision makers in the 

St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin. Cooperative monitoring 

provides the essential tools to observe, record, and measure 

changes in water quantity and quality over time. Waterresources monitoring is a long-term effort that can be made 

cost effective by learning how to leverage funds, share data, 

and avoid duplication of effort. Without long-term cooperative monitoring, future water-resources managers and planners 

may find it difficult to establish and maintain public-supported 

water-quality goals for the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin.

Figure 10. Pesticides being applied on residential lawns, in 

homes, and in gardens. (Photograph from USGS WaterQuality Image Library.)

Figure 11. Pesticides being applied on agricultural lands. 

(Photograph from USGS Water-Quality Image Library.)

12  Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan
References Cited

Aichele, S.S., 2005, Water resources in a rapidly growing 

region—Oakland County, Michigan: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2005–1269, 34 p.

Blumer, S.P., Behrendt, T.E., Whited, C.R., Ellis, J.M., Minnerick, R.J., and LeuVoy, R.L., 2005, Water resources data, 

Michigan, water year 2004: U.S. Geological Sur­vey WaterData Report MI–04–1, 496 p.

DeMaria, A., Prochnow, K., Mikesell, M., 2006, Lake St. 

Clair regional monitoring project, water quality sampling & 

analysis, final report: Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc., 129 p.

Fogarty, L.R., and Duris, J.D., 2007, Screening for the 

pesticides Atrazine, Chlorpyrifos, Diazinon, Metolachlor, 

and Simazine in Michigan streams, March—November 

2005: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Report 2007-5077, [In Press].

Fuller, L.M., Aichele, S.S., and Minnerick, R.J., 2004, Predicting water quality by relating Secchi-disk transparency and 

chlorophyll-a measurements to satellite imagery for Michigan inland lakes, August 2002: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2004–5086, 25 p.

Haack, S.K., and Treccani, S.L., 2000, Arsenic concentrations and selected geochemical characteristics for ground 

water and aquifer materials in southeastern Michigan: 

U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations 

Report 00–4171, 38 p.

Holtschlag, D.J., and Koschik, J.A., 2004, Hydrodynamic simulation and particle-tracking techniques for identification of 

source areas to public-water intakes on the St. Clair-Detroit 

River waterway in the Great Lakes Basin: U.S. Geological 

Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2004–5072, 29 p.

Minnerick, R.J., 2004, Michigan lakes—an assessment of water quality: U.S. Geological Survey 

Fact Sheet 2004–3048, 4 p.

Minnerick, R.J., 2005, Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring 

Project—Lake water quality summary report, January 2005: 

U.S. Geological Survey Letter Report to Macomb County 

Health Department, 20 p.

Myers, D.N., Thomas, M.A., Frey, J.W., Rheaume, S.J., and 

Button, D.T., 2000, Water quality in the Lake Erie-Lake 

Saint Clair Drainages—Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, New 

York, and Pennsylvania, 1996-98: U.S. Geological Survey 

Circular 1203, 35 p.

Richards, R.P., 1994, Tributary loading estimates for selected 

herbicides in Lake Erie tributaries of Michigan and Ohio: 

Final report to the USEPA, Great Lakes National Program 

Office, in partial fulfillment of grant #GL995453-01, Heidelberg College.

Stynes, D.J., 2002, Michigan statewide tourism spending and 

economic impact estimates, 1998 - 2000: Accessed November 1, 2006 at URL http://www.prr.msu.edu/miteim/MichiganSatExec.pdf

Sweat, M.J., Jodoin, R.S., Rossi, T.A., and Brogren, B.B., 

2003, The Michigan source-water assessment program—

methods used for the assessment of surface-water supplies: 

U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations 

Report 03–4134, 32 p.

Thomas, Mary Ann, 2000, The effect of residential development on ground-water quality near Detroit, Michigan: Journal of the American Water Resources Association, v. 36, 

no. 5, p. 1023–1038.

Twenter, F.R., and Knutilla, R.L., 1972, Water for a rapidly 

growing urban community, Oakland County, Michigan: 

U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2000, 148 p.

Figure 12. The Michigan Department of Community 

Health special advisory guide for selected inland 

lakes in Michigan, which is based on the presence 

of toxic chemicals that are known to bioaccumulate 

in fish.

References Cited 13
U.S. Geological Survey, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, and the Michigan State University Institute 

of Water Research, 2005, Inventory and map of Michigan’s 

ground-water resources: accessed March 5, 2007, at URL 

http://gwmap.rsgis.msu.edu 

14  Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan
Appendix A

_________________________________________________________________________

Setting, monitoring history, watershed characteristics, and data for Lake St. Clair Regional 

Monitoring Project streamflow and water-quality monitoring sites.

A.1. USGS Station 04160625 Belle River near Marine City, MI

A.2. USGS Station 04159492 Black River near Jeddo, MI.

A.3. USGS Station 04160900 Clinton River near Drayton Plains, MI.

A.4. USGS Station 04161000 Clinton River at Auburn Hills, MI.

A.5. USGS Station 04161540 Paint Creek at Rochester, MI.

A.6. USGS Station 04161820 Clinton River at Sterling Heights, MI.

A.7. USGS Station 04163030 Red Run at Warren, MI.

A.8. USGS Station 04164000 Clinton River near Fraser, MI.

A.9. USGS Station 04164980 Middle Branch Clinton River near Waldenburg, MI.

A.10. USGS Station 04165557 Clinton River By-Pass at Mt. Clemens, MI.

A.11. USGS Station 04165559 Clinton River near Mt. Clemens, MI.

A.12. USGS Station 04160398 Pine River at Marysville, MI.

A.13. USGS Station 04160635 St. Clair River near Robert’s Landing, MI.

Appendix A 15
Setting, monitoring history, and watershed characteristics

This monitoring station is on the right bank of the river about 650 feet upstream from the bridge on Jeddo Road. The station 

is about 0.4 miles downstream from the Silver Creek confluence with the Black River, about 13 miles upstream from the Mill 

Creek confluence, about 31 miles upstream from the Black River mouth in Port Huron, and 2.2 miles west of Jeddo. The drainage area at the station is 464 square miles; the drainage area of the entire Black River is 711 square miles. Streamflow records 

have been collected at or near this location from 1944 to 2007. Water-quality records have been collected from 1996 to 1998 and 

June 2004 to October 2005. The elevation of the gage is 655 feet above sea level (from topographic map). The average slope of 

the Black River from the headwaters to this station is about 4 feet per mile. The land use in the Black River watershed upstream 

from this station is wetlands and open water, 6 percent; residential and commercial, 1 percent; forested and transitional, 8 percent; and agriculture and grasses, 85 percent (Michigan Center for Geographic Information, 2002).

A.1. USGS Station 04160625 Belle River near Marine City, MI.

Belle River near Marine City, Michigan

LSCRMP site number: BE01

USGS station number: 04160625

Location Information

Latitude: 42 degrees, 46 minutes, 06 seconds

Longitude: 82 degrees, 30 minutes, 44 seconds

Legal description: in NE 1/4 section 23, Township 04 North, Range 16 East

County: St. Clair

Hydrologic Unit: 04090001

Saginaw

Bay

Lake Huron

Lake

St. Clair

#

#

#

# ##

#

##

#

## #

0 25 50 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

EXPLANATION

# USGS Streamflow-gaging station

16  Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan
Five physical parameters were measured at the Belle River near Marine City during 2004-05. These were streamflow, specific 

conductance, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH. Specific conductance is somewhat higher than most streams in the 

basin, particularly those that are located upstream of urban areas. [Water-quality monitor not operated during the winter period.] STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE, IN MICROSEIMENS PER CENTIMETER WATER TEMPERATURE, IN DEGREES CELSIUS

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

DISSOLVED OXYGEN,

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

14

12

10

8

6

4

pH, IN STANDARD UNITS

7.0

9.0

8.8

8.6

8.4

8.2

8.0

7.8

7.6

7.4

7.2 JUNE

2004

FEBRUARY

2005

JANUARY

2005

DECEMBER

2004

NOVEMBER

2004

OCTOBER

2004

SEPTEMBER

2004

AUGUST

2004

JULY

2004

MAY

2005

APRIL

2005

MARCH

2005

JUNE

2005

OCTOBER

2005

SEPTEMBER

2005

AUGUST

2005

JULY

2005

NOVEMBER

2005

2

1

10

100

1,000

10,000

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,400

1,200

1,800

1,600

Appendix A 17
Setting, monitoring history, and watershed characteristics

This monitoring station is on the right bank of the river about 650 feet upstream from the bridge on Jeddo Road. The station 

is about 0.4 miles downstream from the Silver Creek confluence with the Black River, about 13 miles upstream from the Mill 

Creek confluence, about 31 miles upstream from the Black River mouth in Port Huron, and 2.2 miles west of Jeddo. The drainage area at the station is 464 square miles; the drainage area of the entire Black River is 711 square miles. Streamflow records 

have been collected at or near this location from 1944 to 2007. Water-quality records have been collected from 1996 to 1998 and 

June 2004 to October 2005. The elevation of the gage is 655 feet above sea level (from topographic map). The average slope of 

the Black River from the headwaters to this station is about 4 feet per mile. The land use in the Black River watershed upstream 

from this station is wetlands and open water, 6 percent; residential and commercial, 1 percent; forested and transitional, 8 percent; and agriculture and grasses, 85 percent (Michigan Center for Geographic Information, 2002).

Saginaw

Bay

Lake Huron

Lake

St. Clair

#

#

#

# ##

#

#

#

##

Black River near Jeddo, Michigan

LSCRMP site number: BL03

USGS station number: 04159492

Location Information

Latitude: 43 degrees, 09 minutes, 09 seconds

Longitude: 82 degrees, 37 minutes, 27 seconds

Legal description: in SE 1/4 SE 1/4 section 06, Township 08 North, Range 16 East

County: St. Clair

Hydrologic Unit: 04090001

#

# 0 25 50 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

EXPLANATION

# USGS Streamflow-gaging station

A mean daily water yield of 0.15 cubic feet per second per 

square mile of watershed (or about 68 cubic feet per second at 

the gaging station) may be expected to be equaled or exceeded 

50 percent of the time.

The steep slope of the flow duration curve for the Black River 

at Jeddo when the exceedance is less than 35 percent is typical 

of streams that have basins comprised of impermeable soils. 

Basins with flatter (more horizontal) slopes are typically comprised of more permeable soils, allowing more infiltration and 

less direct runoff to streams. The Black River also has a large 

number of drains that direct precipitation rapidly away from 

fields and into the river.

A.2. USGS Station 04159492 Black River near Jeddo, MI.

STREAM FLO W,I NCUBIFETPRSCO ND

PERSQUAM ILE

5 15 25 35 45 55 65 75 85 95

0.01

0.1

1.0

10.0

STREAM FLO W,I NCUBIFETPRSCO ND

PERSQUAM ILE

PERCENTAGE OF TIME INDICATED YIELD WAS EQUALED OR EXCEEDED

5 15 25 35 45 55 65 75 85 95

0.01

0.1

1.0

10.0

WATER YIELD, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

PER SQUARE MILE

18  Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan
Five physical parameters were measured at the Black River near Jeddo during 2004-05. These were streamflow, specific conductance, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH. Of these measured parameters, only pH was atypical of streams studied, with a larger range of values than other sites, particularly in late spring and early summer of 2005. [Water-quality monitor 

not operated during the winter period.]

STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC

FEET PER SECOND

SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE, IN

MICROSEIMENS PER CENTIMETER

200

300

400

500

600

WATER TEMPERATURE,

IN DEGREES CELSIUS

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

DISSOLVED OXYGEN,

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

14

12

10

8

6

4

pH, IN STANDARD UNITS

7.0

9.0

8.8

8.6

8.4

8.2

8.0

7.8

7.6

7.4

7.2

JUNE 2004

FEBRUARY 2005

JANUARY 2005

DECEMBER 2004

NOVEMBER 2004

OCTOBER 2004

SEPTEMBER 2004

AUGUST 2004

JULY 2004

MAY 2005

APRIL 2005

MARCH 2005

JUNE 2005

OCTOBER 2005

SEPTEMBER 2005

AUGUST 2005

JULY 2005

NOVEMBER 2005

800

700

16

1

10

100

1,000

10,000

1,000

900

Appendix A 19
Setting, monitoring history, and watershed characteristics 

This monitoring station is on the left bank of the river at the downstream side of the bridge on State Highway 59, 2.0 miles 

south of Drayton Plains. This site is 7.4 miles upstream from Cass Lake outlet. The drainage area at the station is 79.2 square 

miles; the drainage area of the entire Clinton River watershed is 760 square miles. Streamflow records have been collected at 

this location for the period October 1959 to 2007. Water-quality records for the Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project were 

collected from June 2004 to October 2005. Water temperature records also were collected at this station from October 1961 to 

September 1974. The elevation of the gage is 940 feet above sea level (from topographic map). There is some regulation and 

diversion for lake-level control at many lakes upstream from this station. The average slope of the Clinton River from the headwaters to this location is 5.3 feet per mile. The land use of the Clinton River watershed upstream from this station is wetlands 

and open water, 21 percent; residential and commercial, 19 percent; forested and transitional, 31 percent; and agriculture and 

grasses, 29 percent (Michigan Center for Geographic Information, 2002).

Saginaw

Bay

Lake Huron

Lake

St. Clair

#

#

#

# ##

#

##

#

##

Clinton River near Drayton Plains, Michigan

LSCRMP site number: CR11

USGS station number: 04160900

Location Information

Latitude: 42 degrees, 39 minutes, 37 seconds

Longitude: 82 degrees, 23 minutes, 25 seconds

Legal description: in NE 1/4 section 21, Township 03 North, Range 09 East

County: Oakland

Hydrologic Unit: 04090003

#

0 25 50 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

EXPLANATION

# USGS Streamflow-gaging station

A.3. USGS Station 04160900 Clinton River near Drayton Plains, MI.

A mean daily water yield of 0.58 cubic feet per second per 

square mile of watershed (or about 46 cubic feet per second at 

the gaging station) may be expected to be equaled or exceeded 

50 percent of the time.

The relatively gentle slope of the middle part flow duration 

curve for the Clinton River at Drayton Plains is typical of 

streams that have basins comprised of permeable soils. Basins 

with flatter (more horizontal) slopes such as this one allow 

more infiltration and less direct runoff to streams. There also 

are several lakes upstream of the gage that may lessen the 

slope somewhat by storage and release of water. Conversely, 

water diversions into the lakes could have the opposite effect. STREAM FLO W,I NCUBIFETPRSCO ND

PERSQUAM ILE

0.01

0.1

1.0

10.0

5 15 25 35 45 55 65 75 85 95

STREAM FLO W,I NCUBIFETPRSCO ND

PERSQUAM ILE

0.01

0.1

1.0

10.0

PERCENTAGE OF TIME INDICATED YIELD WAS EQUALED OR EXCEEDED

5 15 25 35 45 55 65 75 85 95

WATER YIELD, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

PER SQUARE MILE

20 Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan
Five physical parameters were measured at the Clinton River at Drayton Plains during 2004-05. These were streamflow, specific 

conductance, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH. Concentrations of dissolved oxygen (DO) fell below 5 mg/L in 

mid-June 2005, accompanying water temperatures above 25°C. The combination of low DO (and high temperatures) have been 

found to be extremely stressful in other studies, which show that game fish appear to need DO concentration of at least 5 mg/L 

to thrive (Erichson Jones, 1964). [Water-quality monitor not operated during the winter period.]

STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC

FEET PER SECOND

1

10

100

1,000

SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE, IN

MICROSEIMENS PER CENTIMETER

200

400

600

800

1,000

WATER TEMPERATURE,

IN DEGREES CELSIUS

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

DISSOLVED OXYGEN,

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

14

12

10

8

6

4

pH, IN STANDARD UNITS

JUNE 2004

FEBRUARY 2005

JANUARY 2005

DECEMBER 2004

NOVEMBER 2004

OCTOBER 2004

SEPTEMBER 2004

AUGUST 2004

JULY 2004

MAY 2005

APRIL 2005

MARCH 2005

JUNE 2005

OCTOBER 2005

SEPTEMBER 2005

AUGUST 2005

JULY 2005

NOVEMBER 2005

1,400

1,200

2

7.0

9.0

8.8

8.6

8.4

8.2

8.0

7.8

7.6

7.4

7.2

Appendix A  21
Setting, monitoring history, and watershed characteristics 

This monitoring station is on the right bank of the river 10 feet upstream of the bridge on Auburn Road. The station is 2.8 miles 

upstream from the Galloway Creek confluence with the Clinton River and 3.2 miles downstream from the Pontiac WWTP. The 

drainage area at the station is 123 square miles; the drainage area of the entire Clinton River watershed is 760 square miles. 

Streamflow records have been collected at this location from May 1935 to June 1939, February to September 1940, October 

1956 to September 1991, July 2001 to September 2003, and April 2004 to 2007. Water-quality records were collected at this 

location from June 2004 to October 2005. The datum of the gage is 846.50 feet above sea level. There is some regulation and 

diversion for lake-level control at many lakes upstream from this station; the flow includes sewage effluent, most of which 

originates from sources outside the basin. The average slope of the Clinton River from the headwaters to this location is about 

5 feet per mile. The land use of the Clinton River watershed upstream from this station is wetlands and open water, 20 percent; 

residential and commercial, 30 percent; forested and transitional, 27 percent; and agriculture and grasses, 23 percent (Michigan 

Center for Geographic Information, 2002).

A.4. USGS Station 04161000 Clinton River at Auburn Hills, MI.

Clinton River at Auburn Hills, Michigan

LSCRMP site number: CR09

USGS station number: 04161000

Location Information

Latitude: 42 degrees, 38 minutes, 00 seconds

Longitude: 83 degrees, 13 minutes, 28 seconds

Legal description: in NW 1/4 section 36, Township 03 North, Range 10 East

County: Oakland

Hydrologic Unit: 04090003

Saginaw

Bay

Lake Huron

Lake

St. Clair

#

#

#

# ##

#

##

#

## #

0 25 50 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

EXPLANATION

# USGS Streamflow-gaging station

22  Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan
Five physical parameters were measured at the Clinton River at Auburn Hills in 2004-05. These were streamflow, specific conductance, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH. Two of the measured parameters appeared to be atypical of streams 

studied. Changes in streamflow are much more subdued than at most sites, and specific conductance is greater than typical at 

upstream sites. Wastewater effluent that is introduced upstream of this site probably serves to moderate streamflow and also 

may be effecting conductance. [Water-quality monitor not operated during the winter period.]

STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC

FEET PER SECOND

SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE, IN

MICROSEIMENS PER CENTIMETER 200

400

600

800

0

1,000

WATER TEMPERATURE,

IN DEGREES CELSIUS

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

DISSOLVED OXYGEN,

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

16

14

12

10

8

6

4

pH, IN STANDARD UNITS

JUNE 2004

FEBRUARY 2005

JANUARY 2005

DECEMBER 2004

NOVEMBER 2004

OCTOBER 2004

SEPTEMBER 2004

AUGUST 2004

JULY 2004

MAY 2005

APRIL 2005

MARCH 2005

JUNE 2005

OCTOBER 2005

SEPTEMBER 2005

AUGUST 2005

JULY 2005

NOVEMBER 2005

1,400

1,200

1,800

1,600

2

1

10

100

1,000

10,000

7.0

9.0

8.8

8.6

8.4

8.2

8.0

7.8

7.6

7.4

7.2

Appendix A  23
Setting, monitoring history, and watershed characteristics

This monitoring station is on the right bank of the river at the upstream side of the bridge on Ludlow Street in Rochester. The 

station is 0.2 miles downstream from Sargent Creek, 7.3 miles downstream from Trout Creek, and 1.5 miles upstream from the 

Paint Creek confluence with the Clinton River. The drainage area at the station is 70.9 square miles; the drainage area of the 

entire Paint Creek watershed is 71.8 square miles. Streamflow records have been collected at this location from October 1959 to 

2007. Water-quality records were collected at this location from June 2001 to September 2003 and June 2004 to October 2005. 

The datum of the gage is 755.11 feet above sea level. Additional streamflow records are available for another Paint Creek station 

about 10 miles upstream. The period of record for this additional station is 1955 to 1975 and 1989 to 1991; the drainage area at 

this site is 38.5 square miles. For both stations, flow is affected by occasional regulation by Lake Orion. The average slope of 

Paint Creek from the headwaters to this location is 13.4 feet per mile. The land use in the Paint Creek watershed upstream from 

this site is wetlands and open water, 15 percent; residential and commercial, 13 percent; forested and transitional, 31 percent; 

and agriculture and grasses, 41 percent (Michigan Center for Geographic Information, 2002).

A.5. USGS Station 04161540 Paint Creek at Rochester, MI.

Paint Creek at Rochester, Michigan

LSCRMP site number: CR10

USGS station number: 04161540

Location Information

Latitude: 42 degrees, 41 minutes, 18 seconds

Longitude: 83 degrees, 08 minutes, 35 seconds

Legal description: in NW 1/4 SE1/4 section 10, Township 03 North, Range 11 East

County: Oakland

Hydrologic Unit: 04090003

Saginaw

Bay

Lake Huron

Lake

St. Clair

#

#

#

# # #

##

#

## # #

0 25 50 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

EXPLANATION

# USGS Streamflow-gaging station

A mean daily water yield of 0.57 cubic feet per second per 

square mile of watershed (or about 40 cubic feet per second at 

the gaging station) may be expected to be equaled or exceeded 

50 percent of the time.

STREAM FLO W,I NCUBIFETPRSCO ND

PERSQUAM ILE

5 15 25 35 45 55 65 75 85 95

0.1

1.0

10.0

STREAM FLO W,I NCUBIFETPRSCO ND

PERSQUAM ILE

PERCENTAGE OF TIME INDICATED YIELD WAS EQUALED OR EXCEEDED

5 15 25 35 45 55 65 75 85 95

0.1

1.0

10.0

WATER YIELD, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

PER SQUARE MILE

24  Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan
Five physical parameters were measured at Paint Creek at Rochester during 2004-05. These were streamflow, specific conductance, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH. In December 2004, streamflow and specific conductance increased at the 

same time. This is the first downstream site to display this trend that also was observed at all sites further downstream. Concentrations of dissolved oxygen are higher than most other streams in the basin and pH also is higher throughout the year. [Waterquality monitor not operated during the winter period.]

STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC

FEET PER SECOND

10

100

1,000

SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE, IN

MICROSEIMENS PER CENTIMETER

0

100

200

300

400

WATER TEMPERATURE,

IN DEGREES CELSIUS

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

DISSOLVED OXYGEN,

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

14

12

10

8

6

4

pH, IN STANDARD UNITS

7.0

9.0

8.8

8.6

8.4

8.2

8.0

7.8

7.6

7.4

7.2

JUNE 2004

FEBRUARY 2005

JANUARY 2005

DECEMBER 2004

NOVEMBER 2004

OCTOBER 2004

SEPTEMBER 2004

AUGUST 2004

JULY 2004

MAY 2005

APRIL 2005

MARCH 2005

JUNE 2005

OCTOBER 2005

SEPTEMBER 2005

AUGUST 2005

JULY 2005

NOVEMBER 2005

1,000

500

0

600

700

800

900

16

Appendix A  25
Setting, monitoring history, and watershed characteristics 

This monitoring station is on the right bank of the river at the downstream side of the bridge on Riverland Road in Sterling 

Heights. The station is 11.2 miles downstream from Paint Creek, 9.5 miles downstream from Stony Creek, and about 8 miles 

downstream from the Oakland County – Macomb County line. The drainage area at the station is 309 square miles; the drainage area of the entire Clinton River watershed is 760 square miles. Streamflow records have been collected at this location from 

October 1978 to December 1982, March 1996 to May 1988, and July 2001 to 2007. Water-quality records were collected at this 

location from June 1996 to May 1978 and June 2004 to October 2005. The elevation of this gage is 605 feet above sea level 

(from topographic map). The average slope of the Clinton River from the headwaters to this station is 7 feet per mile. The land 

use in the Clinton River watershed upstream from this station is wetlands and open water, 18 percent; residential and commercial, 20 percent; forested and transitional, 30 percent; and agriculture and grasses, 32 percent (Michigan Center for Geographic 

Information, 2002).

A.6. USGS Station 04161820 Clinton River at Sterling Heights, MI.

Clinton River at Sterling Heights, Michigan

LSCRMP site number: CR07

USGS station number: 04161820

Location Information

Latitude: 42 degrees, 36 minutes, 52 seconds

Longitude: 83 degrees, 01minutes, 36 seconds

Legal description: in NE 1/4 SW 1/4 section 03, Township 02 North, Range 12 East

County: Oakland

Hydrologic Unit: 04090003

Saginaw

Bay

Lake Huron

Lake

St. Clair

#

#

#

# ##

#

##

## #

# 0 25 50 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

EXPLANATION

# USGS Streamflow-gaging station

A mean daily water yield of 0.69 cubic feet per second per 

square mile of watershed (or about 212 cubic feet per second at the gaging station) may be expected to be equaled or 

exceeded 50 percent of the time.

Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan

WATER YIELD, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

PER SQUARE MILE

PERCENTAGE OF TIME INDICATED YIELD WAS EQUALED OR EXCEEDED

5 15 25 35 45 55 65 75 85 95

0.1

1.0

10.0

26  
Five physical parameters were measured at the Clinton River at Sterling Heights during 2004-05. These were streamflow, 

specific conductance, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH. In December 2004, streamflow and specific conductance 

increased at the same time, and as noted at Paint Creek at Rochester, is probably the result of road salt application. Concentrations of dissolved oxygen are lower on July 28-29, 2005, than the remainder of the period monitored. The atypically low 

concentration occurred immediately after several days of high streamflows on July 27-28, and may be related to high-oxygen 

demand materials entering the stream upstream of the gage. [Water-quality monitor not operated during the winter period.]

STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC

FEET PER SECOND 100

1,000

10,000

SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE, IN

MICROSEIMENS PER CENTIMETER

WATER TEMPERATURE,

IN DEGREES CELSIUS

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

DISSOLVED OXYGEN,

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

14

12

10

8

6

4

pH, IN STANDARD UNITS

7.0

9.0

8.8

8.6

8.4

8.2

8.0

7.8

7.6

7.4

7.2

JUNE 2004

FEBRUARY 2005

JANUARY 2005

DECEMBER 2004

NOVEMBER 2004

OCTOBER 2004

SEPTEMBER 2004

AUGUST 2004

JULY 2004

MAY 2005

APRIL 2005

MARCH 2005

JUNE 2005

OCTOBER 2005

SEPTEMBER 2005

AUGUST 2005

JULY 2005

NOVEMBER 2005

10

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,400

1,200

16

Appendix A  27
Setting, monitoring history, watershed characteristics

This monitoring station is on the right bank of the river 50 feet downstream from bridge on 14 Mile Road in Warren. The station 

is 1.2 miles downstream from Bear Creek, 1 mile downstream from Big Beaver Creek, 3 miles upstream from the Plum Brook, 

and 3.2 miles upstream from the Red Run – Clinton River confluence. Because drains that enter the Red Run carry water that 

originates outside the surface water divide, the use of a drainage area is not appropriate for most uses. For this reason, the USGS 

qualifies the drainage area as indeterminate. Streamflow record was collected at this location from May 2004 to October 2005. 

Water-quality record was collected at this location from June 2004 to October 2005. The elevation of this gage is 610 feet above 

sea level (from topographic map). The average slope of Red Run is about 5 feet per mile. Like drainage area, land use and its 

relation to streamflow delivery may be misleading for this watershed.

A mean daily streamflow of 7 cubic feet per second may be 

expected to be equaled or exceeded 50 percent of the time at 

the upstream USGS site #04162010; therefore, proportionately 

more water can be expected at the downstream Red Run at 

Warren site. The drainage area for both sites is indeterminate.

Flow-duration curves are only dependable if long-term data 

exists for the site. At the Red Run at Warren site, only a little 

more than 1 year of data are available. However, a nearby site 

(Red Run near Warren) (USGS site #04162010) was operated 

from 1980-88. The flow-duration curve for Red Run near 

Warren has a steep slope in the center and is nearly asymptotic 

as it approaches zero and 100 percent exceedance. The Red 

Run Basin is heavily urbanized, and commercial development 

is particularly heavy along Van Dyke and includes many factories with large and impermeable parking lots.

Red Run at Warren, Michigan

LSCRMP site number: CR06

USGS station number: 04163030

Location Information

Latitude: 42 degrees, 32 minutes, 16 seconds

Longitude: 83 degrees, 00 minutes, 21 seconds

Legal description: in SW 1/4 SW 1/4 section 35, Township 02 North, Range 12 East

County: Macomb

Hydrologic Unit: 04090003

Saginaw

Bay

Lake Huron

Lake

St. Clair

#

#

#

# ##

### #

#

#

# 0 25 50 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

EXPLANATION

# USGS Streamflow-gaging station

A.7. USGS Station 04163030 Red Run at Warren, MI.

Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan

WATER YIELD, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

PER SQUARE MILE

PERCENTAGE OF TIME INDICATED YIELD WAS EQUALED OR EXCEEDED

5 15 25 35 45 55 65 75 85 95

0.1

1.0

10

100

1000

28  
Five physical parameters were measured at Red Run at Warren during 2004-05. This site and the Clinton River near Fraser site 

were operated year round during this period for streamflow, specific conductance, and water temperature. The remaining two 

parameters measured were dissolved oxygen, and pH. The trend of each of the five parameters is somewhat different than at 

other sites in the basin. Streamflow is less variable than noted at other streams in the study during periods of baseflow and it 

appears that effluent discharged upstream of the gage is at least partially responsible. Very high specific conductance during the 

winter months may be the result of salt application on roads and parking lots. Water temperature remained well above freezing 

during the winter months and pH is lower. Dissolved oxygen was below 4 mg/L on June 10, 13, 2005.

STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC

FEET PER SECOND

10

100

1,000

SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE, IN

MICROSEIMENS PER CENTIMETER

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

WATER TEMPERATURE,

IN DEGREES CELSIUS

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

DISSOLVED OXYGEN,

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

14

12

10

8

6

4

pH, IN STANDARD UNITS

7.0

9.0

8.8

8.6

8.4

8.2

8.0

7.8

7.6

7.4

7.2

JUNE 2004

FEBRUARY 2005

JANUARY 2005

DECEMBER 2004

NOVEMBER 2004

OCTOBER 2004

SEPTEMBER 2004

AUGUST 2004

JULY 2004

MAY 2005

APRIL 2005

MARCH 2005

JUNE 2005

OCTOBER 2005

SEPTEMBER 2005

AUGUST 2005

JULY 2005

NOVEMBER 2005

5,000

2

0

6,000

Appendix A  29
Setting, monitoring history, watershed characteristics 

This monitoring station is on the right bank of the river 50 feet downstream from the bridge on Garfield Road, 2.8 miles north 

of Fraser. The station is located 1.3 miles downstream from Red Run, 3.6 miles upstream from Canal Road Drain, 4.4 miles 

upstream from the North Branch Clinton River, and 15.4 miles upstream from the mouth. Streamflow record has been collected 

at this location from May 1947 to 2007. Water-quality record was collected at this location from June 2004 to October 2005. 

The datum of the gage is 577.71 feet above sea level. The average slope of the Clinton River upstream of this station is about 

7 feet per mile. The land use in the Clinton River watershed upstream from this station is wetlands and open water, 12 percent; 

residential and commercial, 39 percent; forested and transitional, 24 percent; and agriculture and grasses, 25 percent (Michigan 

Center for Geographic Information, 2002). 

A.8. USGS Station 04164000 Clinton River near Fraser, MI.

A mean daily water yield of 0.64 cubic feet per second per 

square mile of watershed (or about 284 cubic feet per second at the gaging station) may be expected to be equaled or 

exceeded 50 percent of the time.

Saginaw

Bay

Lake Huron

Lake

St. Clair

#

#

#

# ##

#

#

#

##

Clinton River near Fraser, Michigan

LSCRMP site number: CR04

USGS station number: 04164000

Location Information

Latitude: 42 degrees, 34 minutes, 38 seconds

Longitude: 82 degrees, 57 minutes, 05 seconds

Legal description: in SE 1/4 NE 1/4 section 19, Township 02 North, Range 13 East

County: Macomb

Hydrologic Unit: 04090003

#

# 0 25 50 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

EXPLANATION

# USGS Streamflow-gaging station

WATER YIELD, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

PER SQUARE MILE 0.1

1.0

10.0

PERCENTAGE OF TIME INDICATED YIELD WAS EQUALED OR EXCEEDED

5 15 25 35 45 55 65 75 85 95

30 Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan
Five physical parameters were measured at the Clinton River near Fraser during 2004-05. This site and the Red Run at Warren 

site were operated year round during this period for streamflow, specific conductance, and water temperature. The remaining 

two parameters measured were dissolved oxygen, and pH. High specific conductance during the winter months may be the 

result of salt application on roads and parking lots, although the conductance is only about half of that recorded at Red Run at 

Warren for the same period. Some low pH measurements were made in early September 2004, but these were rated poor during 

record analysis.

STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC

FEET PER SECOND

10

100

1,000

10,000

SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE, IN

MICROSEIMENS PER CENTIMETER

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

WATER TEMPERATURE,

IN DEGREES CELSIUS

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

DISSOLVED OXYGEN,

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

14

12

10

8

6

4

pH, IN STANDARD UNITS

7.0

9.0

8.8

8.6

8.4

8.2

8.0

7.8

7.6

7.4

7.2

JUNE 2004

FEBRUARY 2005

JANUARY 2005

DECEMBER 2004

NOVEMBER 2004

OCTOBER 2004

SEPTEMBER 2004

AUGUST 2004

JULY 2004

MAY 2005

APRIL 2005

MARCH 2005

JUNE 2005

OCTOBER 2005

SEPTEMBER 2005

AUGUST 2005

JULY 2005

NOVEMBER 2005

3,000

2,500

2

Appendix A  31
Setting, monitoring history, and watershed characteristics 

This monitoring station is on the left bank of the river at the downstream side of the bridge on 21 Mile Road, 1 mile south of 

Waldenburg. The station is located 4.9 miles downstream from the Middle Branch Clinton River at Romeo Plank Road (location of former gage 04164800), 5.6 miles downstream from Healy Drain, 2 miles upstream from Gloede Ditch, and 4.2 miles 

upstream from the Middle Branch and North Branch confluence. The drainage area at the station is 46.2 square miles; the drainage area of the entire Middle Branch Clinton River is 79.4 square miles. Streamflow and water-quality record was collected at 

this location from June 2004 to October 2005. The elevation of the gage is 590 feet above sea level (from topographic map). The 

average slope of the Middle Branch Clinton River upstream from this location is about 14 feet per mile.

A.9. USGS Station 04164980 Middle Branch Clinton River near Waldenburg, MI.

Middle Branch Clinton River near Waldenburg, Michigan

LSCRMP site number: CR03

USGS station number: 04164980

Location Information

Latitude: 42 degrees, 38 minutes, 34 seconds

Longitude: 82 degrees, 56 minutes, 00 seconds

Legal description: in NW 1/4 NW 1/4 section 33, Township 03 North, Range 13 East

County: Macomb

Hydrologic Unit: 04090003

Saginaw

Bay

Lake Huron

Lake

St. Clair

#

#

#

# ##

#

### #

#

#

0 25 50 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

EXPLANATION

# USGS Streamflow-gaging station

32  Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan
Five physical parameters were measured at the Middle Branch Clinton River near Waldenburg during 2004-05. These were 

streamflow, specific conductance, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH. Concentrations of dissolved oxygen fell to 

about 5 mg/L in June 9-13, June 30-July 1, and July 17, 2005. The dip on July 17 accompanied high streamflow as a result of 

heavy precipitation and may have been the result of high-oxygen demand materials entering upstream of the gage. [Water-quality monitor not operated during the winter period.]

STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC

FEET PER SECOND

10

100

1,000

SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE, IN

MICROSEIMENS PER CENTIMETER

WATER TEMPERATURE,

IN DEGREES CELSIUS

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

DISSOLVED OXYGEN,

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER pH, IN STANDARD UNITS

7.0

9.0

8.8

8.6

8.4

8.2

8.0

7.8

7.6

7.4

7.2

JUNE 2004

FEBRUARY 2005

JANUARY 2005

DECEMBER 2004

NOVEMBER 2004

OCTOBER 2004

SEPTEMBER 2004

AUGUST 2004

JULY 2004

MAY 2005

APRIL 2005

MARCH 2005

JUNE 2005

OCTOBER 2005

SEPTEMBER 2005

AUGUST 2005

JULY 2005

NOVEMBER 2005

1

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,400

1,200

14

12

10

8

6

4

16

Appendix A  33
Setting, monitoring history, and watershed characteristics

This monitoring station is on the left bank of the river about 15 feet upstream from the bridge on Jefferson Avenue about 2 miles 

southeast of Mt. Clemens. The head of the By-Pass canal diverts Clinton River water using an inflatable dam at a point 8.8 miles 

upstream from the mouth of the Clinton River. The station is located 600 feet upstream from Lake St. Clair and 0.8 miles downstream from the Clinton Relief Drain. The By-Pass canal is about 2 miles long. The determination and use of a drainage area for 

the By-Pass canal is not appropriate for most uses. Streamflow and water-quality record was collected at this location from July 

2004 to October 2005. Gage-height record also was collected at this station from October 1979 to September 1983. The datum 

of the gage is 565.36 feet above sea level. Gage-height, discharge, and water-quality data at this location are all affected by wind 

direction and seiche on Lake St. Clair.

 A.10. USGS Station 04165557 Clinton River By-Pass at Mt. Clemens, MI.

Saginaw

Bay

Lake Huron

Lake

St. Clair

#

#

#

# ##

#

##

## #

#

Clinton River By-Pass at Mouth at Mt. Clemens, Michigan

LSCRMP site number: CR02

USGS station number: 04165557

Location Information

Latitude: 42 degrees, 33 minutes, 41 seconds

Longitude: 82 degrees, 50 minutes, 43 seconds

Legal description: in SW 1/4 section 30, Township 02 North, Range 14 East

County: Macomb

Hydrologic Unit: 04090003

0 25 50 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

EXPLANATION

# USGS Streamflow-gaging station

34  Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan
Five physical parameters were measured at the Clinton River By-Pass during 2004-05. These were streamflow, specific conductance, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH. Concentrations of dissolved oxygen fell below 4 mg/L on several 

occasions during the sampled period. Fouling of the dissolved oxygen probe, which results in lower than actual readings, was 

common at this site, but the dip on July 17-20 also was noted at other sites. Dissolved oxygen was around 3 mg/L for the period 

from September 8-10, 2004 as well, although this was not noted at the other sites. Variation in pH at this site was much greater 

here than at the other 12 sites, with greatest variation noted during the summer months when streamflow is primarily quite low. 

[Water-quality monitor not operated during the winter period.]

STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC

FEET PER SECOND

1

10

100

1,000

SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE, IN

MICROSEIMENS PER CENTIMETER

200

400

600

800

1,000

WATER TEMPERATURE,

IN DEGREES CELSIUS

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

DISSOLVED OXYGEN,

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

14

12

10

8

6

4

pH, IN STANDARD UNITS

JUNE 2004

FEBRUARY 2005

JANUARY 2005

DECEMBER 2004

NOVEMBER 2004

OCTOBER 2004

SEPTEMBER 2004

AUGUST 2004

JULY 2004

MAY 2005

APRIL 2005

MARCH 2005

JUNE 2005

OCTOBER 2005

SEPTEMBER 2005

AUGUST 2005

JULY 2005

NOVEMBER 2005

10,000

1,400

1,200

2

0.1

7.0

9.0

8.8

8.6

8.4

8.2

8.0

7.8

7.6

7.4

7.2

Appendix A  35
 Setting, monitoring history, and watershed characteristics 

This monitoring station is on the left bank of the river about 400 feet upstream from the bridge on Bridgeview Road, about 2 

miles east of Mt. Clemens. The station is located 7.4 miles downstream from the Clinton River at Moravian Drive streamgage 

(location of USGS gage 04165500), about 7 miles downstream from Harrington Drain, about 6 miles downstream from the 

By-Pass canal diversion, and about 3.5 miles upstream from the mouth at Lake St. Clair. The drainage area at the station is 

759 square miles; the drainage area of the entire Clinton River watershed is 760 square miles. The diversion of flow down the 

By-Pass canal should be considered when using “per square mile” flow calculations. Streamflow and water-quality record was 

collected at this location from July 2004 to October 2005. The datum of the gage is 580.77 feet above sea level. Gage-height, 

discharge, and water-quality data at this station are all affected by wind direction and seiche on Lake St. Clair. The average slope 

of the Clinton River is about 6 feet per mile. The land use in the Clinton River watershed upstream from Moravian Drive is wetlands and open water, 10 percent; residential and commercial, 28 percent; forested and transitional, 23 percent; and agriculture 

and grasses, 39 percent (Michigan Center for Geographic Information, 2002).

A.11. USGS Station 04165559 Clinton River near Mt. Clemens, MI. 

Clinton River near Mt. Clemens, Michigan

LSCRMP site number: CR01

USGS station number: 04165559

Location Information

Latitude: 42 degrees, 35 minutes, 47 seconds

Longitude: 82 degrees, 49 minutes, 34 seconds

Legal description: in SE 1/4 NW 1/4 section 17, Township 02 North, Range 14 East

County: Macomb

Hydrologic Unit: 04090003

Saginaw

Bay

Lake Huron

Lake

St. Clair

#

#

#

# ##

#

##

# #

## 0 25 50 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

EXPLANATION

# USGS Streamflow-gaging station

36  Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan
Five physical parameters were measured at the Clinton River east of Mt. Clemens during 2004-05. These were streamflow, 

specific conductance, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH. Streamflow at this site was affected by wind direction and 

seiche on Lake St. Clair, although probably not to the same degree as the By-Pass. Typically, all of the Clinton River Basin 

streamflow is diverted through this channel rather than the By-Pass and the streamflow hydrograph reflects that, with typical 

variations. Concentrations of dissolved oxygen fell below 4 mg/L on several occasions during the sample period. Fouling of the 

dissolved oxygen probe was common at this site, but the dip to 2.8 mg/L on June 14, 2005, is believed to be accurate. 

STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC

FEET PER SECOND

10

100

1,000

10,000

SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE, IN

MICROSEIMENS PER CENTIMETER

WATER TEMPERATURE,

IN DEGREES CELSIUS

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

DISSOLVED OXYGEN,

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

14

12

10

8

6

4

pH, IN STANDARD UNITS

7.0

9.0

8.8

8.6

8.4

8.2

8.0

7.8

7.6

7.4

7.2

JUNE 2004

FEBRUARY 2005

JANUARY 2005

DECEMBER 2004

NOVEMBER 2004

OCTOBER 2004

SEPTEMBER 2004

AUGUST 2004

JULY 2004

MAY 2005

APRIL 2005

MARCH 2005

JUNE 2005

OCTOBER 2005

SEPTEMBER 2005

AUGUST 2005

JULY 2005

NOVEMBER 2005

2

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,400

1,200

Appendix A  37
Setting, monitoring history, and watershed characteristics 

This monitoring station is on the right bank of the river at the upstream side of the bridge on Neuman Road. This site is about 4 

and 3 miles downstream from Smiths Creek and Rattle Run, respectively, and 9.3 miles upstream of the Pine River – St. Clair 

River confluence. The drainage area at the station is 170 square miles; the drainage area of the entire Pine River is 194 square 

miles. Streamflow records were collected at this location from August 2004 to October 2005. Water-quality records were collected from June 2004 to October 2005. A crest-stage partial-record station has been operated since 1974 at a station about 3.5 

miles upstream on the Pine River at Gratiot Road, 1.9 miles north of Rattle Run. The drainage area of the Gratiot Road partialrecord station is 135 square miles. The elevation of the gage is 600 feet above sea level (from topographic map). The average 

slope of the Pine River from the headwaters to this station is about 6.5 feet per mile.

A.12. USGS Station 04160398 Pine River near Marysville, MI.

Pine River near Marysville, Michigan

LSCRMP site number: PR01

USGS station number: 04160398

Location Information

Latitude: 42 degrees, 51 minutes, 31 seconds

Longitude: 82 degrees, 32 minutes, 17 seconds

Legal description: in NE 1/4 section 22, Township 05 North, Range 16 East

County: St. Clair

Hydrologic Unit: 04090001

Saginaw

Bay

Lake Huron

Lake

St. Clair

#

#

# ##

#

##

#

## #

#

0 25 50 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

EXPLANATION

# USGS Streamflow-gaging station

38  Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan
Five physical parameters were measured at the Pine River near Marysville during 2004-05. These were streamflow, specific 

conductance, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH. Of these measured parameters, only specific conductance was 

atypical of streams studied, with a higher base value and higher peak values than other sites in the study, except Red Run and the 

Clinton River below Red Run. [Water-quality monitor not operated during the winter period.]

STREAMFLOW, IN CUBIC

FEET PER SECOND

SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE, IN

MICROSEIMENS PER CENTIMETER

WATER TEMPERATURE,

IN DEGREES CELSIUS

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

DISSOLVED OXYGEN,

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

14

12

10

8

6

4

pH, IN STANDARD UNITS

7.0

9.0

8.8

8.6

8.4

8.2

8.0

7.8

7.6

7.4

7.2

JUNE 2004

FEBRUARY 2005

JANUARY 2005

DECEMBER 2004

NOVEMBER 2004

OCTOBER 2004

SEPTEMBER 2004

AUGUST 2004

JULY 2004

MAY 2005

APRIL 2005

MARCH 2005

JUNE 2005

OCTOBER 2005

SEPTEMBER 2005

AUGUST 2005

JULY 2005

NOVEMBER 2005

1

10

100

1,000

10,000

0.1

200

300

400

500

600

800

700

100

900

16

Appendix A  39
Setting, monitoring history, and watershed characteristics 

This monitoring station is on the right bank of the river 1.1 miles north of Roberts Landing. The confluence of the Belle River 

with the St. Clair River is 2.3 miles upstream; the Marine City Drain joins the St. Clair River about 3.2 miles downstream from 

this station. Water-quality records were collected from July 2004 to October 2005. The drainage of the St. Clair River is the 

runoff from the “upper” Great Lakes.

A.13. USGS Station 04160635 St. Clair River near Robert’s Landing, MI. 

St. Clair River near Roberts Landing, Michigan

LSCRMP site number: SC02

USGS station number: 04160635

Location Information

Latitude: 42 degrees, 40 minutes, 32 seconds

Longitude: 82 degrees, 30 minutes, 39 seconds

Legal description: in NE 1/4 SE 1/4 section 23, Township 03 North, Range 16 East

County: St. Clair

Hydrologic Unit: 04090001

Saginaw

Bay

Lake Huron

Lake

St. Clair

#

#

#

# ##

#

##

## #

# 0 25 50 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

EXPLANATION

# USGS Streamflow-gaging station

40 Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan
Four physical parameters were measured at the St. Clair River near Roberts Landing during 2004-05. These were specific 

conductance, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH. All of the measured parameters differed considerably from those of 

the inland streams studied, primarily owing to the effect of tremendous quantities of Great Lakes water at this site. Variability 

and magnitude of all four parameters is much less than measured at inland stream sites. The trend of dissolved oxygen in 2005 

appears to be somewhat lower than in 2004, likely owing to water temperatures that were about 2 degrees warmer in 2005 than 

in 2004. [Water-quality monitor not operated during the winter period.]

SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE, IN

MICROSEIMENS PER CENTIMETER 200

210

220

230

WATER TEMPERATURE,

IN DEGREES CELSIUS

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

DISSOLVED OXYGEN,

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

13

12

11

10

9

8

pH, IN STANDARD UNITS

8.6

8.5

8.4

8.3

8.2

8.1

8.0

7.9

7.8

JUNE 2004

FEBRUARY 2005

JANUARY 2005

DECEMBER 2004

NOVEMBER 2004

OCTOBER 2004

SEPTEMBER 2004

AUGUST 2004

JULY 2004

MAY 2005

APRIL 2005

MARCH 2005

JUNE 2005

OCTOBER 2005

SEPTEMBER 2005

AUGUST 2005

JULY 2005

NOVEMBER 2005

250

240

7

260

270

280

290

300

14

Appendix A  41
Stephen J. Rheaume, Brian P. Neff, and Stephen P. Blumer—Cooperative Water-Resources Monitoring in the St. Clair Rivewr/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan—

Open-File Report 2007-1148

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