Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Protection Plan
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Watershed Goals, Objectives, and Recommendations
The overall mission for the Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Protection Plan is to provide guidance for the implementation of actions that will reduce the negative impact that pollutants and environmental stressors have on the designated watershed uses. The envisioned endpoint is to have Grand Traverse Bay and all lakes and streams within its watershed support appropriate designated and desired uses while maintaining their distinctive environmental characteristics and aquatic biological communities. Using suggestions obtained from stakeholder meetings conducted throughout the watershed and examples from other watershed management plans, the project steering committee developed six broad goals for the Grand Traverse Bay watershed. By working to attain these goals and their corresponding objectives, threatened watershed designated uses will be maintained or improved. The watershed goals are as follows:
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In an effort to successfully accomplish the goals and objectives, specific and tangible recommendations, called implementation tasks, were developed based on the prioritization of watershed pollutants, sources, and causes while also looking at the priority areas in the
watershed. The implementation tasks represent an integrative approach, combining watershed goals and covering more than one pollutant at times, to reduce existing sources of priority pollutants and prevent future contributions.
Implementation tasks were summarized by the pollutant and/or source it relates to. In this way, organizations may work on a specific issue (i.e., urban stormwater or shoreline restoration) that may contribute more than one type of watershed pollutant and meet more than one watershed goal. The categories are as follows: Shoreline Protection and Restoration; Road Stream Crossings; Agriculture; Hydrology; Habitat, Fish and Wildlife; Stormwater; Wastewater; Human Health; Wetlands; Invasive Species; Land Protection and Management; Development; Zoning and Land Use; Groundwater; Monitoring; and Desired Uses.
Additionally an Information and Education Strategy was developed with specific recommendations which highlight the actions needed to successfully maintain and improve watershed education, awareness, and stewardship for the Grand Traverse Bay watershed. It lays the foundation for the collaborative development of natural resource programs and educational activities for target audiences, community members, and residents.
Besides focusing implementation efforts in priority areas, putting special emphasis on reducing and/or eliminating pollution stemming from stormwater runoff, streambank erosion, road stream crossings, fertilizer use, lack of riparian buffers, and the reduction of wetlands, will address the bulk of pollution entering the Grand Traverse Bay and its surrounding watershed. Priority should be given to implementation tasks (both BMPs and educational initiatives) that work to reduce the effects from these sources.
Priority Tasks and Future Efforts for Implementation
The Watershed Center and other project partners will continue to build partnerships with various groups throughout the watershed for future projects involving the implementation of recommendations made in the protection plan. It is expected that this implementation phase will last 10 years or more. Grant funds and other money sources will be used to 1) continue water quality assessment and monitoring, 2) complete initial implementation tasks and installation of Best Management Practices, and 3) complete initial tasks outlined in the Information and Education Strategy.
Priority tasks that should be conducted over the next 1 – 3 years are as follows, with the most important tasks listed first:
Future efforts for the Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Project include:
The plan is intended for use by area watershed groups, lake associations, local governments, volunteer groups, and many others and provides recommendations on how to reduce water quality degradation and protect water quality throughout the Grand Traverse Bay watershed.
watershed. The implementation tasks represent an integrative approach, combining watershed goals and covering more than one pollutant at times, to reduce existing sources of priority pollutants and prevent future contributions.
Implementation tasks were summarized by the pollutant and/or source it relates to. In this way, organizations may work on a specific issue (i.e., urban stormwater or shoreline restoration) that may contribute more than one type of watershed pollutant and meet more than one watershed goal. The categories are as follows: Shoreline Protection and Restoration; Road Stream Crossings; Agriculture; Hydrology; Habitat, Fish and Wildlife; Stormwater; Wastewater; Human Health; Wetlands; Invasive Species; Land Protection and Management; Development; Zoning and Land Use; Groundwater; Monitoring; and Desired Uses.
Additionally an Information and Education Strategy was developed with specific recommendations which highlight the actions needed to successfully maintain and improve watershed education, awareness, and stewardship for the Grand Traverse Bay watershed. It lays the foundation for the collaborative development of natural resource programs and educational activities for target audiences, community members, and residents.
Besides focusing implementation efforts in priority areas, putting special emphasis on reducing and/or eliminating pollution stemming from stormwater runoff, streambank erosion, road stream crossings, fertilizer use, lack of riparian buffers, and the reduction of wetlands, will address the bulk of pollution entering the Grand Traverse Bay and its surrounding watershed. Priority should be given to implementation tasks (both BMPs and educational initiatives) that work to reduce the effects from these sources.
Priority Tasks and Future Efforts for Implementation
The Watershed Center and other project partners will continue to build partnerships with various groups throughout the watershed for future projects involving the implementation of recommendations made in the protection plan. It is expected that this implementation phase will last 10 years or more. Grant funds and other money sources will be used to 1) continue water quality assessment and monitoring, 2) complete initial implementation tasks and installation of Best Management Practices, and 3) complete initial tasks outlined in the Information and Education Strategy.
Priority tasks that should be conducted over the next 1 – 3 years are as follows, with the most important tasks listed first:
- Establishing stormwater BMPs and ordinances
- Streambank and shoreline erosion surveys and stabilization projects
- Establishing riparian buffers
- Complete road crossing inventories and begin improvements using BMPs
- Inventory current master plans and zoning ordinances; assist townships with developing ordinances that protect water quality and natural resources
- Stormdrain mapping
- Wetland assessment, restoration, and protection
- Initiatives to preserve open space and wildlife corridors
- Continuing monitoring programs
- Developing Conservation Plans for farms
Future efforts for the Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Project include:
- Building partnerships and seeking funding for implementation activities.
- Completing initial implementation tasks as well as installing BMPs at selected sites.
- Ongoing monitoring to assess environmental conditions.
- Implementing information and education initiatives.
- Compiling results from ongoing research initiatives.
The plan is intended for use by area watershed groups, lake associations, local governments, volunteer groups, and many others and provides recommendations on how to reduce water quality degradation and protect water quality throughout the Grand Traverse Bay watershed.
