Chapter 1 -Inventory of the Watershed

In the spring of 2003, the Les Cheneaux Watershed Project manager and members of the project steering committee enlisted Les Cheneaux community volunteers from several sources including but not limited to Les Cheneaux Community Schools, several civic organizations including Les Cheneaux Islands’ Association, Islands Wildlife Association, and the Artisans Cooperative, and Lake Superior State University. Volunteers joined the project manager in walking alongside creeks looking for erosion sites and habitat degradation, surveying Great Lakes Shoreline, attending focus meetings with local health departments, MDEQ and MDNR personnel, and performing chemical and biological assessments of area surface waters.

4.1 Creek Survey

A watershed survey was performed with guidance from the MDEQ Watershed Survey protocol (2000). Creeks in the watershed were surveyed from sites where roads crossed their courses. Survey sheets were filled out for approximately 45 road crossing sites and photographs were taken as documentation of conditions. Observations determined that many of the actual road stream crossing structures were impacting the integrity of several creeks in the watershed, including the embankments, or the culverts, or the road surface, so a road/stream assessment was completed also at each road/crossing throughout the watershed using protocols and data sheets used by a previous survey completed by the Huron Pines RC&D (RC&D). Consequently, in the accompanying road and stream crossing inventory, there is a description of conditions at each crossing in the watershed for road crossing conditions and for stream conditions for sights that LCWC determined needed remediation. Remediation suggestions are included on the BMP Cost sheet and with each site description.

4.2 Shoreline Survey

Several volunteers boated, canoed, kayaked, and walked a significant portion of the 200 miles of Great Lakes Shoreline over the course of two summers. The volunteers focused attention on observing pollution trends, including development, invasive species, eroding shoreline, and natural features. Attempts were made to identify cladophora algae to assess OSS wastewater pollution, but low water conditions hampered efforts. A local contractor provided assistance in assessing current lakeshore building trends and the accompanying erosion controls on lakefront building projects. At the onset of this inventory, several stakeholders had indicated that a source of sediments and habitat degradation was the lack of compliance with State Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control regulations on lakefront construction sites[1]. Visual observations proved that very few, if any, erosion control measures are consistently installed. The potential for serious sedimentation and aquatic habitat problems is evident.

4.3 Chemical and Biological Inventories

Chemical and biological inventories were performed throughout the watershed as a means of involving local students and citizens in the project. The project manager and members from the steering committee worked with Les Cheneaux Community Schools to screen for serious pollutant parameters and to assess the diversity of aquatic macro-invertebrates in the creeks throughout the watershed. Results from those surveys will be included in this plan upon MDEQ approval of the project Quality Assurance Plan.

Lake Superior State University, the University of Michigan, Les Cheneaux Islands Association, and students from area schools performed several research projects in the Les Cheneaux watershed, including bacteria contamination analysis of local swimming areas and area creeks, phosphorus assessments of area creeks, biological studies of area marshes. Many of the projects are not completed as yet, but results will be added to this plan as they become available.

Besides actual field inventories, research reports, reports of pollution occurrence and conditions from different agencies, and personnel communication with local, state, and federal personnel were used to determine pollutants, their sources and causes, and appropriate preventative measures as is described in the implementation plan. The project manager and steering committee enjoyed the services of a vast array of technical advisors who are listed in this document as project partners.

The following table was constructed to summarize pollutants, their sources and causes determined through the project inventories, and the designated uses they threat.

Table 4.3.1 Watershed Pollutants, Sources and Causes

Threatened Use	Pollutant or Condition k=known s=suspected p=potential	Source k=known s=suspected p=potential	Cause k=known s=suspected p=potential
Public Water Supply	Pathogens (sp)	Failing septic systems (sp)	· Poor land use planning (k) · Improperly designed and maintained on-site septic system (k) · Lack of awareness, education/information as to maintenance (k)
		Municipal wastewater discharge (sp)	· Poor land use planning (k) · Improperly designed septic system (k)
		Animal wastes (sp)	· Loss of aquatic habitat (sp) · Artificial feeding of animals (k) · Lack of awareness of wildlife ecosystems (s)
		Stormwater (sp)	· Lack of stormwater management strategies/structures/awareness (k) · Karst topography (k)
	Nutrients (k)	Failing septic systems (sp)	· Poor land use planning (k) · Improperly designed and maintained on-site septic system (k) · Lack of awareness, education/information as to maintenance (k)
		Municipal wastewater discharge (k)	· Poor land use planning (k) · Improperly designed municipal septic system discharge (k)
		Animal wastes (sp)	· Loss of aquatic habitat (sp) · Lack awareness of wildlife ecosystems (s) · Artificial Feeding (k)
		Stormwater (s)	· Lack of stormwater management strategies/structures/awareness (k) · Karst topography (k)
	Toxins (k)	Aquatic recreation use/maintenance of machinery (i.e. boats, snowmobiles, etc.) (k)	· Inefficient motors (fuel leakage, fuel waste through exhaust) (k) · Poor fueling practices (k)
		Roads, parking lots, driveways, stormdrains (sp) Poor land use planning/lack of stormwater management (k)	· Untreated connection between impervious surfaces/stormdrains and waterbodies (k) · Lack of awareness to the sources of toxins (k)
		Use of hazardous waste (HW) like paints, solvents, etc. (k)	· Lack of awareness of HW management (k) · Lack of HW facility (k)
Total Body Contact	Pathogens (sp)	Failing septic systems (sp)	· Poor land use planning (k) · Improperly designed and maintained on-site septic system (k) · Lack of awareness, education/information as to maintenance (k)
		Municipal wastewater discharge (sp)	· Poor land use planning (k) · Improperly designed septic system (k)
		Animal wastes (sp)	· Loss of aquatic habitat (sp) · Artificial feeding of animals (k) · Lack of awareness of wildlife ecosystems (s)
		Stormwater (sp)	· Lack of stormwater management strategies/structures/awareness (k) · Karst topography (k)
	Nutrients (k)	Failing septic systems (sp)	· Poor land use planning (k) · Improperly designed and maintained on-site septic system (k) · Lack of awareness, education/information as to maintenance (k)
		Municipal wastewater discharge (k)	· Poor land use planning (k) · Improperly designed municipal septic system discharge (k)
		Animal wastes (sp)	· Loss of aquatic habitat (sp) · Lack awareness of wildlife ecosystems (s) · Artificial Feeding (k)
		Stormwater (s)	· Lack of stormwater management strategies/structures/awareness (k) · Karst topography (k)
	Toxins (k)	Aquatic recreation use/maintenance of machinery (i.e. boats, snowmobiles, etc.) (k)	· Inefficient motors (fuel leakage, fuel waste through exhaust) (k) · Poor fueling practices (k)
		Roads, parking lots, driveways, stormdrains (sp) Poor land use planning/lack of stormwater management (k)	· Untreated connection between impervious surfaces/stormdrains and waterbodies (k) · Lack of awareness to the sources of toxins (k)
		Use of hazardous waste (HW) like paints, solvents, etc. (k)	· Lack of awareness of HW management (k) · Lack of HW facility (k)
Partial Body Contact	Pathogens (sp)	Failing septic systems (sp)	· Poor land use planning (k) · Improperly designed and maintained on-site septic system (k) · Lack of awareness, education/information as to maintenance (k)
		Municipal wastewater discharge (sp)	· Poor land use planning (k) · Improperly designed septic system (k)
		Animal wastes (sp)	· Loss of aquatic habitat (sp) · Artificial feeding of animals (k) · Lack of awareness of wildlife ecosystems (s)
		Stormwater (sp)	· Lack of stormwater management strategies/structures/awareness (k) · Karst topography (k)
	Nutrients (k)	Failing septic systems (sp)	· Poor land use planning (k) · Improperly designed and maintained on-site septic system (k) · Lack of awareness, education/information as to maintenance (k)
		Municipal wastewater discharge (k)	· Poor land use planning (k) · Improperly designed municipal septic system discharge (k)
		Animal wastes (sp)	· Loss of aquatic habitat (sp) · Lack awareness of wildlife ecosystems (s) · Artificial Feeding (k)
		Stormwater (s)	· Lack of stormwater management strategies/structures/awareness (k) · Karst topography (k)
	Toxins (k)	Aquatic recreation use/maintenance of machinery (i.e. boats, snowmobiles, etc.) (k)	· Inefficient motors (fuel leakage, fuel waste through exhaust) (k) · Poor fueling practices (k)
		Roads, parking lots, driveways, stormdrains(sp) Poor land use planning/lack of stormwater management (k)	· Untreated connection between impervious surfaces/stormdrains and waterbodies (k) · Lack of awareness to the sources of toxins (k)
		Use of hazardous waste (HW) like paints, solvents, etc. (k)