The Thornapple is now suffering visibly from the increasing pressures of development in the watershed.
People use the river for a dump site, and leave all kinds of waste on the banks and in the water.
Removal of the native trees and shrubs from banks by landowners is a growing problem. The drains for parking lots, roads, and bridges, with runoff loaded with gas, oil, and salt, empty directly into tributaries and into the river. Sediment created by developers is not properly controlled. The further downstream one goes, the more evident is the resulting flooding, erosion, and sedimentation. The goal of the developers is economic benefit, not to damage the Thornapple River.