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

Stream-Water Quality during Storm-Runoff Events 

and Low-Flow Periods in the St. Clair River/

Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Open-File Report 2007-1201
Stream-Water Quality during Storm-Runoff 

Events and Low-Flow Periods in the St. 

Clair River/ Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan

By Thomas L. Weaver and Lori M. Fuller

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

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Open-File Report 2007-1201
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:

Weaver, T.L. and Fuller, L.M., 2007, Stream-water quality during storm-runoff events and low-flow periods in the St. 

Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1201, 13 p.

Cover photographs:

Photographs showing potential urban and combined-sewer sources from U.S. Geological Survey Water-Quality Image 

Library. Photograph showing agricultural storm-runoff source taken by T. L. Weaver.
Tables

1. Selected summary statistics and trend results for pH, major dissolved ions, and

nutrients at Clinton River at Mt. Clemens, Michigan..............................................................7

2. 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...........................10

Contents

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

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

What Defines Water Quality? ......................................................................................................................1

What Factors Determine Volume And Quality Of Storm Runoff?...........................................................3

What Causes Low-Flow Periods, And How Do They Affect Stream-Water Quality?.........................4

What Has Monitoring Of Storm Runoff And Low Flow Taught Us About Changing Water

Quality In The St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin?.....................................................................5

National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN) ............................................................5

National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA)...............................................................................5

USGS Oakland County Land-Use Change Study .............................................................................7

Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project (LSCRMP) ...................................................................8

How Will This Information Be Used In The Future?...............................................................................12

Summary........................................................................................................................................................12

References Cited..........................................................................................................................................12

Figures

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

2. Photographs showing examples of high and low streamflow on the Clinton River .............3

3. Photograph showing contrasting agricultural practices–planted buffer strip adjacent to 

drainage ditch compared to buffer strip...................................................................................4

4. Map showing St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin and selected streamflow-gaging stations.................................................................................................................................................6

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

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

6. Graph showing continuous streamflow, specific conductance, and water temperature 

and seasonal dissolved oxygen and pH for the Clinton River near Fraser, Michigan, 

2004–05 .........................................................................................................................................11

iii
Conversion Factors, Datum, and Abbreviations

Multiply By To obtain

Length

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km)

Flow rate

cubic foot per second (ft3/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second (m3/s)

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 at 25 degrees Celsius

(μS/cm at 25 °C).

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

or micrograms per liter (μg/L).

Abbreviations 

DWSD – Detroit Water and Sewerage Department

LSCRMP – Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project

MDEQ – Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

NASQAN – National Stream Quality Accounting Network

NAWQA – National Water-Quality Assessment Program

USGS – U.S. Geological Survey

iv
Abstract

This report, a product of the Lake St. Clair Regional 

Monitoring Project, describes four water-quality studies in 

the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin from the early 1970’s 

through 2005. All the studies examined water quality of 

streams in the basin; the most recent studies focused primarily on water quality during high- and low-streamflows. This 

report explains how storm-runoff and low-flow periods affect 

water quality in the basin. Included is a summary of streamwater quality findings from the National Stream Quality 

Accounting Network (1973­­­­–95); the National Water-Quality 

Assessment (1996­–98); the Oakland County Land-Use Change 

study (2001–03); and the Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring 

Project (2004–05).

Introduction

The goal of the Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project (LSCRMP) was to conduct a comprehensive water-quality 

assessment of Lake St. Clair and its surface-water sources 

in southeastern Michigan (Macomb County, Blue Ribbon 

Commission, 1997; fig. 1). As the population of the basin has 

steadily grown, formerly rural and agriculturally dominated 

areas have become more urban. This changing land use has 

had a profound effect on stream-water quality during stormrunoff and low-flow periods. 

For purposes of this report, “storm-runoff events” are 

defined as times during and after rainfall when precipitation 

exceeds infiltration into the soil, resulting in direct runoff. 

During such events, excess water moves directly to streams 

or lakes as overland flow. Many factors influence whether a 

particular storm results in runoff that dilutes or concentrates 

a particular chemical constituent in the surface-water body 

receiving the runoff. Commonly, concentrations of some 

constituents decrease while concentrations of others increase. 

A photograph of the North Branch Clinton River near Mt. 

Clemens during a storm-runoff event is shown in figure 2.

Low flows occur in streams and rivers during extended 

periods of little or no precipitation or snowmelt. Streamflow 

during low-flow periods is derived mostly from ground water, 

but flow in some streams can include inputs from septic tanks 

and point discharges such as tile drainage from agricultural 

fields, sewage-treatment effluent, and industrial cooling or 

processing water. A photograph of the Clinton River near Fraser during a low-flow period is shown in figure 2.

This summary of stream-water quality during storm-runoff events and low-flow periods was initiated by the LSCRMP 

in 2003, in cooperation with the Michigan Department of 

Environmental Quality (MDEQ), the Counties of Macomb, 

Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne; and the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS). This report explains how storm-runoff events 

and low-flow periods affect water quality in the St. Clair 

River/Lake St. Clair Basin. Included is a summary of streamwater-quality findings from four studies that published data 

over the course of 32 years: National Stream Quality Accounting Network (1973–95), National Water-Quality Assessment (1996–98), Oakland County Land-Use Change study 

(2001–03), and Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project 

(2004–05).

What Defines Water Quality?

The quality of water is determined by its chemical, 

physical, and biological characteristics. The same water can 

be considered bad or good on the basis of its intended use. For 

example, water-quality standards for drinking water are considerably more stringent than standards for water that will be 

used for cooling in industrial processing. In some cases, water 

discharged to streams can meet quality standards at one location but result in human-health-related problems downstream, 

Stream-Water Quality during Storm-Runoff Events and 

Low-Flow Periods in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair 

Basin, Michigan

By Thomas L. Weaver and Lori M. Fuller
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

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

 Stream-Water Quality during Storm-Runoff Events and Low-Flow Periods in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin
Figure 2. Examples of high and low streamflow on the Clinton River. The photograph on the left is an example of a storm-runoff event 

at USGS station 04164500 (North Branch Clinton River near Mt. Clemens, Mich.) on April 5, 2003, when the daily mean streamflow on 

this day was the highest recorded in water year 2003. The photograph on the right is an example of low flow at USGS station 04164000 

(Clinton River near Fraser, Mich.) on June 20, 2005, when the daily mean streamflow was only about 35 percent of the 1947–2005 June 

monthly mean streamflow for this site. File photographs from U.S. Geological Survey Water-Quality Image Library.

such as microbial contamination near swimming beaches or 

public-water-supply intakes (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 

2003).

Chemical characteristics of natural water derive from 

many sources, among which are gases and aerosols from the 

atmosphere, weathering and erosion of rocks and soil, solution or precipitation reactions at or below the land surface, and 

chemical inputs from human activities (Hem, 1985). 

Some physical characteristics of surface water can be easily measured in the field. These include temperature, dissolved 

oxygen, pH (a measure of hydrogen ion activity), specific conductance (a measure of the ability of water to transmit electric 

current), and turbidity (a measure of how much suspended 

material is in the water). A multiparameter water-quality 

monitor can be configured to measure all five characteristics.

Biological characteristics of water are determined by the 

diversity of the flora and fauna in the water body. Chemical 

and physical quality determines to a large degree what types of 

plants and animals can survive. As water quality changes, the 

diversity and numbers of plants and animals changes. Generally, diversity increases as water quality improves. 

What Factors Determine Volume And 

Quality Of Storm Runoff?

Two main factors in determining the amount and quality of runoff from a particular storm event are land-surface 

conditions and land-use type. Storm runoff increases when the 

ground is frozen or saturated. During these times, little or none 

of the rainfall or snowmelt infiltrates the soil and the water 

moves rapidly into nearby surface-water bodies as overland 

flow. Likewise, urban areas that have large areas of the land 

surface covered by pavement and buildings will have rapid 

storm runoff throughout the year. 

Typically, storm runoff contains solids such as soil 

particles and other particles small enough to be entrained 

within overland flow. Storm runoff also carries nutrients and 

pesticides/herbicides (which are dissolved or carried intact and 

found in rural as well as urban settings), trace elements, and 

pathogens (microorganisms that cause disease). In rural areas, 

where agriculture is prevalent, animal wastes can—and often 

do—enter surface-water bodies as a result of storm runoff; in 

urban areas, insufficient wastewater-treatment capacity and 

combined-sewer overflows often result in entry of untreated or 

only partially treated human waste to adjacent surface-water 

bodies. In urban areas, such as southern Oakland and Macomb 

Counties, large areas of ground covered by pavement and 

buildings promote rapid runoff, which can pick up and transport automotive antifreeze, fuel, lubricants and many other 

potential contaminants into nearby surface-water bodies. 

Storm runoff is reduced in areas where the ground 

surface is mostly grassland or forested, and rainfall has a better chance to infiltrate into the ground. A photograph of two 

adjacent fields in eastern Michigan is shown in figure 3. The 

field on the left has a buffer strip of rough vegetation in the 

area adjacent to the drainage ditch, whereas the field on the 

right has a row crop planted to the edge of the ditch. Creating agricultural buffer strips in the riparian zone near streams, 

What Factors Determine Volume And Quality Of Storm Runoff? 
ditches, and ponds or lakes, or practicing no-till field preparation techniques can slow storm runoff that might otherwise 

flow directly into adjacent surface-water bodies. Buffer strips 

serve as a transitional zone between agricultural fields and 

surface water bodies, stabilizing banks, filtering out sediments and reducing water turbidity, recharging aquifers, and 

protecting aquatic habitat. Establishing buffer strips has been 

effective at mitigating some potential contaminants, including 

sediment and pesticides, and is particularly useful when fields 

are barren.

Historically, headwater areas of the Clinton River Basin 

(northern Oakland and Macomb Counties) were largely rural 

or agricultural, whereas downstream areas were heavily urbanized. Downstream industrial and municipal point discharges 

were the primary factors in the designation of the Clinton 

River as an Area of Concern in 1985 (Clinton River RAP 

Public Advisory Council, 2000). Today (2007) however, contamination problems in the Clinton River are largely the result 

of nonpoint-source runoff. Even though urbanization increased 

in the Clinton River Basin by 15 percent from 1978 to 2001 

(Syed and Fogarty, 2005), major industrial discharges for the 

most part have ceased, and most municipal sewage-treatment 

facilities have adequate pretreatment programs and combined 

sewer-control plans for most streamflow conditions. Yet, some 

severe storms in the Clinton River Basin can still cause excessive runoff, resulting in overflows of sewers and sewage-retention basins directly into the river. These occasional overflows 

are blamed for degraded water quality in the Clinton River and 

excessive weed growth along the Lake St. Clair shoreline. As 

a result of these overflows and other nonpoint-source inputs, 

storm runoff is listed as the largest single source of streamwater-quality degradation in the Clinton River Basin (Clinton 

River RAP Public Advisory Council, 2000).

What Causes Low-Flow Periods, And 

How Do They Affect Stream-Water 

Quality?

Periods of low streamflow also can profoundly affect 

stream-water quality. Although direct runoff of dissolved and 

suspended constituents into streams typically ceases during 

low-flow periods, water quality commonly deteriorates as a 

result of increased concentrations of some chemical constituents, increased water temperatures and conductance, and low 

dissolved-oxygen concentrations. The combination of lower 

than normal dissolved-oxygen concentrations and higher 

than normal water temperatures can be harmful or fatal to 

aquatic life, particularly if such conditions are sustained for 

long periods.

In headwaters of the Clinton River Basin, flow in some 

tributaries can cease entirely if a dry period is sustained or 

severe. Cessation of flow is most prevalent where streams 

originate and/or flow through areas of clay-rich surficial 

geologic materials, such as northern Macomb County. In 

areas where surficial sand and gravel deposits are more 

common (eastern Oakland County), streamflow is typically 

sustained by ground-water inflow. Low streamflow in the 

Clinton River Basin can also be affected by diversion into 

lakes to maintain levels. Aichele (2005b) showed that for 

two tributary streams to the upper Clinton, more than 90 

percent of the total streamflow in August and September is 

derived from ground-water discharge. In downstream parts 

of the Clinton River Basin, effluent from municipal sewagetreatment plants and cooling water from industrial plants 

probably composes a significant proportion of the Clinton 

River’s flow during extended dry periods, because many 

of the municipal water supplies use surface water obtained 

from outside of the Clinton River Basin and discharge their 

effluent into the Clinton River. During the drought in the 

early 1960s, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department 

(DWSD) began supplying Oakland County water from Lake 

Huron and the Detroit River to communities south and east 

of Pontiac. By 2000, 10 townships in Macomb County also 

were being supplied by water from DWSD, and nearly all 

of the same areas were sewered as well (Detroit Water and 

Sewerage Department, 2000a,b). With the replacement of 

septic systems by sanitary sewers since the 1960s, water that 

was formerly discharged back into the ground and recharged 

aquifers is instead piped to sewage-treatment plants, where it 

is then released as a point-source discharge into the adjacent 

 Stream-Water Quality during Storm-Runoff Events and Low-Flow Periods in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin

Figure 3. Contrasting agricultural practices–planted buffer strip 

adjacent to drainage ditch compared to buffer strip. The field on 

the left has a buffer strip of rough vegetation planted in the area 

adjacent to the drainage ditch, whereas the field on the right has 

a row crop planted down into the edge of the ditch. Photograph by 

T.L. Weaver, U.S. Geological Survey.
river system (Aichele, 2005b). As a result, the total amount of 

water in the Clinton River Basin at any given time has slowly 

increased because of the addition of out-of-basin DWSD water 

returned to the river from treatment plants. Aichele (2005b) 

also noted that the water in the Clinton River now has a higher 

nutrient content and higher temperature than the river typically 

would have if the water had come predominantly from groundwater sources. 

What Has Monitoring Of Storm Runoff 

And Low Flow Taught Us About 

Changing Water Quality In The St. Clair 

River/Lake St. Clair Basin?

Since the early 1970s, several studies have been done to 

assess water-quality status and trends in the St. Clair River/

Lake St. Clair Basin. These studies have involved periodic 

sampling efforts over various flow regimes, including stormrunoff events and low-flow periods. The purpose and findings 

of four of these studies (National Stream Quality Accounting Network, National Water-Quality Assessment, Oakland 

County Land-Use Change Study, and the Lake St. Clair 

Regional Monitoring Project) are described in the following 

sections.

National Stream Quality Accounting Network 

(NASQAN)

The major impetus for establishing the NASQAN 

program in 1974 was to develop a baseline surface-water 

chemistry data set that was long term and systematically 

collected throughout the Nation. NASQAN samples were collected at the Clinton River site at Mt. Clemens (USGS station 

04165500) from 1974 to 1995 (fig. 4), primarily in response 

to the Clean Water Act of 1972 (Alexander and others, 1996). 

During that period, more than 140 water samples were collected at the site. 

A trend analysis was done on the Clinton River 

NASQAN data (Syed and Fogarty, 2005) to assist the MDEQ 

in evaluating the effectiveness of water-pollution-control 

efforts and the identification of water-quality concerns. The 

trend analysis clearly showed the benefits of sampling the 

same site for the same chemical constituents for an extended 

period and documented the effect of rapid urbanization on 

water quality over a two-decade period. Concentrations of 30 

constituents over time were examined for trends. A negative 

trend indicated a decrease in concentration of a particular 

constituent, which generally meant an improvement in water 

quality, whereas a positive trend meant an increase in concentration and possible degradation of water quality. A large part 

of the variance of constituent concentrations may be the result 

of the variations in the associated discharges (streamflow) 

(Schertz and others, 1991). Some constituents could show a 

combination of streamflow-affected concentration and dilution. For example, concentration of suspended solids typically 

increases with increasing streamflow because overland flow 

results in particle transport to streams; in contrast, concentrations of many dissolved constituents decrease because of 

dilution as streamflow increases. The removal of streamflow 

as a source of variance from the data makes trend-testing 

techniques more powerful by increasing the probability of 

detecting a trend and decreases the chances of detecting a 

trend that is only an artifact of streamflow (Syed and Fogarty, 

2005). Trend results of selected constituents are summarized 

in table 1. 

Decreasing concentrations of sulfate, fluoride, total 

phosphorus and nitrogen compounds, were measured over 

time at the Clinton River at Mt. Clemens site from 1974 to 

1995. These negative trends (decreasing concentrations) could 

indicate an overall improvement in agricultural practices, 

municipal and industrial wastewater-treatment processes, and 

effectiveness of regulations.

Increasing concentrations of major ions such as calcium, magnesium, and chloride were measured over time at 

the Clinton River at Mt. Clemens site from 1974 to 1995. 

Of the major ions, the most widespread significant positive 

trends were for sodium and chloride, and increasing concentration indicates a slight decrease in surface-water quality. 

Human-related sources that result in sodium and chloride 

entering streams include road-deicing salt; sewage effluent 

including water softener chemicals; industrial waste; and, in 

some places, oil- and gas-field waste. The maximum chloride 

concentration measured was 270 mg/L, which exceeds U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency aquatic-life thresholds for 

chloride concentrations in surface water (chronic and acute 

exposure values are 226.5 mg/L and 1,720 mg/L, respectively) 

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1988). The trend for 

pH also was positive at the Clinton River at Mt. Clemens site 

from 1974 to 1995, but the cause is difficult to determine; the 

increase in pH could be related to a combination of human 

activities and natural processes occurring simultaneously in 

the environment.

Although concentrations of several common ions 

increased, results of the 1974–95 trend analyses, in general, 

showed an overall improvement in water quality at the Clinton 

River site, primarily because of decreasing concentrations of 

all nutrients sampled for. 

National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA)

The NAWQA Program’s goal is to improve scientific 

and public understanding of water quality in the Nation’s 

major river basins and ground-water systems. As part of the 

Lake Erie-Lake St. Clair Basin NAWQA study, surface-water 

sampling was done in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin 

What Has Monitoring Of Storm Runoff And Low Flow Taught Us About Changing Water Quality 
Wayne County

Oakland County Macomb

County

St. Clair

County

Explanation

St. Clair River and Lake Basin

Rivers and streams

Gaging stations

NASQAN

NAWQA

River and stream data from 1:24,000 scale MIRIS Level 7 data, 1998

St. Clair River and Lake Basin from 1:250,000 scale USGS Hydrologic Units of the United States, 1994 

83°30' W 83°0' W

43°30' N

42°30' N

Michigan

0 5 10 MILES

0 5 10 KILOMETERS

Clinton River at 

Sterling Heights 

04161820

Black River near Jeddo

04159492

Clinton River at

Mt. Clemens

04165500

Figure 4. St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin and selected streamflow-gaging stations.

 Stream-Water Quality during Storm-Runoff Events and Low-Flow Periods in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin
Table 1. Selected summary statistics and trend results for pH, major dissolved ions, and nutrients at Clinton River at Mt. Clemens, 

Michigan. 

 [Table modified from Syed and Fogarty (2005); mg/L, milligrams per liter; ▲, positive upward trend; ▼, negative downward trend]

Property or constituent Period of 

record

Number of 

observations

Maximum

Minimum Median Trend

pH 1973–95 141 8.4 7.2 8 ▲

Dissolved calcium (mg/L) 1974–95 139 90 45 70 ▲

Dissolved magnesium (mg/L) 1974–95 139 26 12 21 ▲

Dissolved chloride (mg/L) 1973–95 141 270 40 92 ▲

Dissolved sulfate (mg/L) 1973–95 141 89 32 58 ▼

Dissolved fluoride (mg/L) 1974–95 140 0.9 0.1 0.4 ▼

Total ammonia (mg/L as N) 1977–92 70 0.73 0.01 0.14 ▼

Ammonia + organic nitrogen (mg/L as nitrogen) 1974–95 136 4.9 0.19 1 ▼

Total nitrogen (mg/L) 1974–95 135 12 0.75 3.6 ▼

Total organic nitrogen (mg/L) 1978–95 99 4.8 0.35 0.82 ▼

Dissolved nitrite + nitrate (mg/L as nitrogen) 1979–95 82 5 0.25 2.4 ▼

Total phosphorus (mg/L) 1974–95 138 0.76 0.01 0.175 ▼

during 1996-98 at the Clinton River at Sterling Heights (USGS 

station 04161820) and at a site on the Black River near Jeddo 

(USGS station 04159492) and again in 2005-06 at the Clinton 

River at Sterling Heights (fig. 4). Intense sampling emphasizing organic compounds, pesticides, and mercury—as well as 

major ions, nutrients, biota, and chemistry of bed sediments—

took place 18–32 times per year. Data from the 1996–98 study 

are described in detail in a USGS Circular 1203 (Myers and 

others, 2000); data for the 2005–06 study are currently being 

analyzed.

Although the 1996–98 NAWQA study showed that 

pesticide and fertilizer applications to crops in the Lake ErieLake St. Clair Basin were among the highest in the Nation, 

concentrations of atrazine and phosphorus (known to cause 

algae growth resulting in reduction of dissolved oxygen) in 

samples from the Clinton River at Sterling Heights were the 

lowest of the 10 rivers sampled (Meyers and others, 2000). 

The NAWQA study did note that rainfall and runoff affected 

the concentrations of atrazine in the wet years of 1996–­­97, 

compared to 1998, which was relatively drier. The highest 

concentrations of the most heavily used herbicides—metalochlor, atrazine, cyanizine, and acetochlor—were detected for 

4 to 6 weeks after significant rainfall and spring runoff. The 

NAWQA study also showed that the highest concentrations 

of PCBs, DDT, and chlordane were detected in fish and bed 

sediment from streams flowing through urban and mixed-use 

lands, such as the Clinton River Basin (Rheaume and others, 

2000). Concentrations of total mercury and PCB were greatest 

in the nearshore areas of Lake St. Clair, Detroit River, and 

Lake Erie. The highest concentrations of DDT were found 

in whole fish (as opposed to filets) from the Clinton River 

and the Cuyahoga River at Cleveland. The study showed that 

stream habitat in some urban streams, including the Clinton River site at Sterling Heights, was rated as high quality; 

however, fish communities were less diverse than expected. 

Lack of fish community diversity may be an indication that 

contaminants detected in water and streambed sediment were 

affecting the Clinton River in spite of the availability of suitable habitat (Myers and others, 2000). 

The 1996–98 Lake Erie-Lake St. Clair Basin NAWQA 

study also showed that agricultural runoff appears to be affecting fish communities in streams with abundant row-crop acreage, such as the Black River near Jeddo. As the amount of runoff containing agricultural pesticides, nutrients, and sediments 

into a stream increases, fish-community diversity decreases. In 

contrast, greater numbers of “pollution-intolerant” fish species 

were found in streams draining areas with lower percentages 

of row crops and higher percentages of forested land in their 

basins. 

USGS Oakland County Land-Use Change Study

The USGS (Aichele, 2005b) compared low-flow waterquality data from 1966 to 1970 to data collected as part of a 

2001–03 study in the Clinton River Basin. For purposes of the 

study, low-flow periods were defined as those with three or 

more consecutive days of declining streamflow and an instantaneous streamflow less than the 75th percentile of annual daily 

What Has Monitoring Of Storm Runoff And Low Flow Taught Us About Changing Water Quality 
streamflow. Chemical analyses of samples from the Clinton River, where wintertime spikes in specific conductance 

occurred, were shown to have increasing sodium and chloride 

concentrations associated with snowmelt, possibly a result of 

road salt in the runoff. Aichele (2005a) showed that specific 

conductance in the Clinton River had roughly doubled since 

the 1960s. As noted previously, in two tributary streams to the 

upper Clinton River, more than 90 percent of the total streamflow in August and September is derived from ground-water 

discharge (Aichele, 2005b). In downstream parts of the Clinton River Basin, however, effluent from municipal sewagetreatment plants probably composes a significant proportion 

of the flow during extended dry periods. Low-flow samples 

for analyses of “emerging contaminants” such as personalcare products, detergents, pharmaceuticals, flame retardants, 

caffeine, and hormones were collected in 2002 and 2003 at 

five sites in the Clinton River Basin, and many of the analytes 

were found—particularly at the Clinton River at Auburn Hills 

(USGS station 04161000) and Sterling Heights (USGS station 

04161820, where 7 of 10 human-waste-stream products and 

4 of 5 fire retardants were found). At the time of this report 

(2007), environmental effects of emerging contaminants are 

poorly understood in either the human-health or the ecosystem 

context, although investigative studies are currently underway. 

The USGS also sampled the Clinton River for the presence of the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli; a bacteria 

found in the feces of warm-blooded creatures, including 

humans) and found concentrations that frequently exceeded 

MDEQ standards for partial-body contact (activities such as 

wading, canoeing, and fishing) as well as full-body contact 

(swimming). At the Clinton River at Sterling Heights, nine 

samples were collected; five exceeded full-body-contact standards and two exceeded even the less stringent partial-contact 

standard (Aichele, 2005b). 

Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project 

(LSCRMP)

The LSCRMP consisted of a two-year water-quality 

assessment (2004–05) of the United States side of the St. Clair 

River/Lake St. Clair Basin. This project was a comprehensive 

assessment of the hydrological, biological, chemical, and 

physical state of the surface water of the study area. The study 

included streamflow and water-quality monitoring, collection 

of discrete (grab) and automatic water-quality samples, and 

analysis of previously collected water-quality and bed-sediment data in the basin.

During the LSCRMP, the USGS and its project partners 

operated 13 continuous streamflow-gaging and water-quality 

monitoring stations. Environmental Consulting & Technology 

Incorporated (ECT) collected and analyzed water samples during 19 low-flow periods at 24 stream locations and 14 stormrunoff events at the 13 continuous-monitoring stations in the 

St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin (fig. 5; table 2) (DeMaria 

and others, 2006). 

For the LSCRMP wet- and dry-weather sampling effort 

(2004–05), ECT found that sites located at the Clinton River at 

Auburn Hills (USGS station 04161000), Clinton River at Clinton Township (USGS station 04164000), Red Run at Warren 

(USGS station 04163030), and Middle Branch Clinton River 

near Waldenburg (USGS station 04164980) had the most 

degraded water quality (increased concentrations of E. coli,

aluminum, total phosphorus, total suspended solids (TSS), 

and biochemical and chemical oxygen demand (BOD and 

COD) during storm-runoff events of any of the sites sampled 

(DeMaria and others, 2006). ECT attributed the increased concentrations to storm runoff carrying constituents from impervious areas, eroding upland soils, and re-suspended sediment 

from detention ponds and streams (DeMaria and others, 2006). 

These sites also had relatively poor water quality during lowflow periods as well. The Salt River in Chesterfield Township 

and Beaubian Creek in Cottrellville Township were found to 

have the poorest water quality during low-flow periods of all 

24 LSCRMP sites. The Clinton River at the mouth (USGS station 04165559), Red Run at Warren, and Clinton River at Clinton Township were the sites ranked third through fifth most 

degraded during low-flow periods (DeMaria and others, 2006).

At most other LSCRMP sampling sites in both urban 

and rural settings, E. coli, aluminum, total phosphorus, total 

suspended solids (TSS), and biochemical and chemical oxygen demand (BOD and COD) concentrations also increased 

significantly during storm-runoff events. The Clinton, Black, 

Belle, and Pine Rivers did not meet full-body contact standards because of E. coli contamination during wet-weather 

conditions. At most LSCRMP Clinton River sampling sites in 

urban areas, chloride and some of the nutrients were found at 

highest concentrations during storm-runoff events, whereas at 

most LSCRMP sites in rural areas, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, 

and chloride generally decreased during storm-runoff events, 

indicating that dilution was reducing concentrations of these 

constituents. During storm-runoff events, phosphorus concentrations were generally double the concentrations measured 

during dry-weather concentrations, and nitrate concentrations 

and dissolved oxygen generally decreased (DeMaria and others, 2006).

For the LSCRMP water-quality monitoring effort 

(2004–05), the USGS measured water temperature, dissolved 

oxygen, specific conductance, and pH at 15-minute intervals 

at all 13 continuous-monitoring stations. Dissolved-oxygen concentrations measured at the Red Run at Warren, the 

Clinton River Bypass Channel (USGS station 04165557), and 

the Clinton River at the mouth were very low during summer low-flow periods. At the Clinton River at the mouth site, 

dissolved-oxygen concentrations were near 4 mg/L frequently 

during summer 2005, dipping to 2.8 mg/L on June 14, 2005. 

Low concentrations of dissolved oxygen at the Clinton River 

sites are probably related to low velocities in the main channel 

 Stream-Water Quality during Storm-Runoff Events and Low-Flow Periods in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin
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 5. Streamflow and water-quality data-collection sites of the Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project, 

Michigan.

What Has Monitoring Of Storm Runoff And Low Flow Taught Us About Changing Water Quality 
ECT waterquality site 

and map 

number

USGS streamflow and 

monitoring site 

number

Site name Latitude Longitude

BL01 — Black River near Port Huron 42.9900 -82.5378

BL02 — Mill Creek near Avoca 43.0544 -82.7347

BL03 04159492 Black River near Jeddo 43.1525 -82.6242

BL04 Black River at Port Huron 42.9944 -82.4450

BE01 04160625 Belle River near Marine City 42.7683 -82.5122

BE02 — Belle River at Memphis 42.9008 -82.7692

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

SC01 — Bunce Creek near South Park 42.9314 -82.4639

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

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

SC03 — Salt Creek at 23 Mile Road near New Baltimore 42.6758 -82.7708

SC04 — Swan Creek at Shortcut Road near Fairhaven 42.6939 -82.6486

SC05 — Beaubien Creek near Starville 42.6733 -82.5875

PR01 04160398 Pine River near Marysville 42.8586 -82.5381

CR01 04165559 Clinton River near Mt. Clemens 42.5964 -82.8261

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

CR03 04164980 Middle Branch Clinton River near Waldenburg 42.6428 -82.9333

CR04 04164000 Clinton River near Fraser 42.5772 -82.9514

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

CR06 04163030 Red Run at Warren 42.5378 -83.0058

CR07 04161820 Clinton River at Sterling Heights 42.6144 -83.0267

CR08 — Stony Creek near Washington 42.7153 -83.0919

CR09 04161000 Clinton River at Auburn Hills 42.6333 -83.2244

CR10 04161540 Paint Creek at Rochester 42.6883 -83.1431

CR11 04160900 Clinton River near Drayton Plains 42.6603 -83.3903

Table 2. 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; —, not applicable; map numbers shown on 

figure 5]

10 Stream-Water Quality during Storm-Runoff Events and Low-Flow Periods in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin

and possibly almost no velocity in the bypass channel, which 

would be typical when the inflatable weir in Mt. Clemens is 

deployed across the channel. Studies have shown that a combination of low concentrations of dissolved oxygen and high 

water temperatures are extremely stressful to fish. Erichsen 

Jones (1964) reports that concentrations of dissolved oxygen 

of 3.0 to 4.9 mg/L will support some tolerant fish species 

for varying periods; however, concentrations of 5 mg/L and 

greater will supply ample and favorable conditions for prolonged fish life.

Most water-quality monitoring at LSCRMP sites was 

discontinued during the winter by project design; however, 
water temperature and specific conductance were measured 

year round by the USGS at Red Run at Warren and the Clinton River in Clinton Township during 2004–05. Continuous 

streamflow, specific conductance, and water temperature, and 

seasonal dissolved oxygen and pH for the Clinton River in 

Clinton Township during the LSCRMP (2004–05) are shown 

in figure 6. The figure and similar data for Red Run shows 

that specific conductance doubles or triples during the winter, 

indicating that significant water-quality variation takes place 

during the winter period when water-quality monitors at the 

other 11 USGS sites were not in operation. The high specific 

conductance during the winter may be the result of runoff of 

10

100

1,000

10,000

2

Figure 6. Continuous streamflow, specific conductance, and water temperature and seasonal 

dissolved oxygen and pH for the Clinton River near Fraser, Michigan, 2004–05.

What Has Monitoring Of Storm Runoff And Low Flow Taught Us About Changing Water Quality 11
salt applied to roads and parking lots. Although monthly mean 

streamflows for November 2004 and March 2005 were about 

the same as the long-term means (1947–2005), monthly mean 

streamflow during December 2004 and January and February 

2005 were 150–200 percent of the long-term means. Abovenormal precipitation and attendant runoff may have resulted 

in higher than typical specific conductance during winter 

2004–05.

 Data from the LSCRMP (2004–05) streamflow-gaging and water-quality monitoring stations, together with 

extensive dry- and wet weather sampling—including E. coli, 

total organic carbon, chemical oxygen demand, biochemical 

oxygen demand, total suspended and dissolved solids, hardness, orthophosphate, total phosphorus, ammonia-N, nitrateN, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, chloride, aluminum, and oil and 

grease—are available at the LSCRMP Website at http://www.

lakestclairdata.net/.

How Will This Information Be Used In 

The Future?

Data collected previously by USGS (NASQAN, 

NAWQA, and the Oakland County Land-Use Change Study) 

are an invaluable documentation of past water-quality trends 

within the rapidly urbanizing St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair 

Basin. Data from the LSCRMP (2004–05) confirm and quantify suspected water-quality problems in surface water entering 

into the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair (DeMaria and others, 2006). 

Water-quality data collected for the LSCRMP can be 

used to focus local remediation efforts in Macomb, Oakland, 

and St. Clair Counties by identifying the most heavily affected 

parts of the basin. The data can help identify sources of 

water-quality degradation, including sanitary-sewer overflows, 

failing septic fields, and illegal discharges; the data may also 

document water-quality effects from storm runoff containing 

urban-related constituents, animal feces, and fertilizers. By 

analyzing data from specific sampling points within the basin, 

reaches of streams contributing to water-quality degradation can be identified and corrective actions undertaken. The 

LSCRMP data can also serve as a baseline for measuring 

the success of remediation efforts and determining when and 

where future monitoring should take place.

Summary

Much of the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin has 

undergone significant hydrologic change as a result of rapid 

urbanization over the past several decades. Several cooperative water-quality studies have been conducted in the St. Clair 

River/Lake St. Clair Basin over much of the same period. 

These studies examined the changes in water quality during 

high- and low-streamflow conditions, and as expected, documented long-term trends in concentrations of some chemical 

constituents. Although point-source industrial discharges have 

been largely eliminated from the basin and nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfate concentrations are decreasing, concentrations 

of sodium and chloride have both increased. Storm runoff in 

urbanized areas is typically rapid, resulting in a flush of potential contaminants into adjacent surface-water bodies. Storm 

runoff also often results in combined-sewer overflows. 

Streamflows during dry periods in the St. Clair River/

Lake St. Clair Basin are sustained primarily by ground-water 

discharge, although some locations may also receive some of 

their sustained flow from waste-water treatment plants. Lowflow conditions often result in elevated water temperatures, 

depressed dissolved-oxygen concentrations, and increased 

concentrations of some chemical constituents. Specific conductance doubled or tripled at two sites within the St. Clair 

River/Lake St. Clair Basin during winter conditions at the only 

sites monitored year round. At least one study suggested that 

the lack of fish community diversity in the Clinton River Basin 

may be an indication that contaminants detected in water and 

streambed sediment are affecting the aquatic health of the river 

in spite of the presence of suitable habitat. 

References Cited

Aichele, S.S., 2005a, Effects of urban land-use change on 

streamflow and water quality in Oakland County, Michigan, 

1970–2003, as inferred from urban gradient and temporal 

analysis: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Report 2005–5016, 22 p.

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

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

Alexander, R.B., Ludtke, A.S., Fitzgerald, K.K., and Schertz, 

T.L., 1996, Data from selected U.S. Geological Survey 

national stream water-quality monitoring networks (WQN) 

on CD-ROM: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 

96–337.

Clinton River RAP Public Advisory Council, 2000, Clinton 

River watershed remedial and preventive action plan—1998 

update and progress report: Mt. Clemens, Mich., 59 p.

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

Clair Regional Monitoring Project, water quality sampling 

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

12  Stream-Water Quality during Storm-Runoff Events and Low-Flow Periods in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin
Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, 2000a, Map of water 

supply system, accessed April 10, 2007, at http://www.dwds.

org/images/water_map.gif

Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, 2000b, Maps of 

sewer system, accessed April 10, 2007, at http://www.dwds.

org/images/sewer_map.gif

Erichsen Jones, J.R., 1964, Fish and river pollution: London 

[Washington], Butterworths, 203 p.

Hem, J.D., 1985, Study and interpretation of the chemical 

characteristics of natural water (3d ed.): U.S. Geological 

Survey Water-Supply Paper 2254, 263 p. 

Macomb County, Blue Ribbon Commission, 1997, Macomb 

County, Blue Ribbon Commission–Report and recommendations: Macomb County, Mt. Clemens, Michigan, 19 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 St. 

Clair Drainages Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, New York, and 

Pennsylvania, 1996–98: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 

1203, 35 p.

Rheaume, S.J., Button, D.T., Myers. D.N., and Hubbell, 

D.L., 2000, Areal distribution and concentrations of contaminants of concern in surficial streambed and lakebed 

sediments, Lake Erie-Lake St. Clair Drainages, 1990–97: 

U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations 

Report 00–4200, 60 p.

Schertz, T.L., Alexander, R.B., and Ohe, D.J., 1991, The 

computer program Estimate Trend (ESTREND), a system 

of detection of trends in water-quality data: U.S. Geological 

Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 91–4040, 

63 p.

Syed, A.U., and Fogarty, L.R., 2005, Trends in surface-water 

quality at selected National Stream Quality Accounting 

Network (NASQAN) stations, in Michigan: U.S. Geological 

Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2005–5158, 38 p.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2003, St. Clair River and Lake 

St Clair Comprehensive Management Plan, Draft, released 

July 18, 2003, 172 p.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1988, Ambient water 

quality criteria for chloride—1988: Office of Water, EPA 

440/5–88–001, accessed May 17, 2007, at http://www.epa.

gov/waterscience/pc/ambientwqc/chloride1988.pdf

References Cited 13
Thomas L. Weaver and Lori M. Fuller—Stream-Water Quality during Storm-Runoff Events and Low-Flow Periods in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, 

Michigan—Open-File Report 2007-1201

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