Rapid and Torch Rivers

August 2013ESLA

Issue: Increasing Sediment1993 – Aarwood to Torch River

Issue: Increasing Sediment2005 – Aarwood to Torch River

Issue: Increasing Sediment2011 – East and West of Aarwood Bridge

Rugg Pond 2011

Torch River/Lake Skegemog 1938

Torch River/Lake Skegemog 2010

Removing sediment from our Rivers will most likely be very expensive and require approval from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Natural Resources.

Both of these agencies and and organizations that will potentially consider providing grant funds for addressing our sediment issues will want to know information about the health of our Rivers and about the sources of sediment both naturally occurring and manmade.

We need data to support grant fund requests!!

Objectives 2011 and 2012Conduct semiannual macroinvertebrate collections

at an increasing number of sitesWalk the river and identify major erosion sitesEstablish multiple ongoing data collection sitesEvaluate road crossingsApply for funding to address road crossing issuesMSU led hydrology team to evaluate sediment

depositions in Rapid River and Torch River

Most Recent Macroinvertebrate Results West of Aarwood Bridge – Poor (2012)East of Aarwood Bridge – Poor (2012)West of Freedom Park – Fair (2012)East of Freedom Park – Fair (2012)East of Kellogg Bridge – Fair (2012)East of Underhill Road – Poor (2010)Seven Bridges – Good (2012)Wood Road west of Rugg Pond – Fair (2012)Wood Road northeast of Rugg Pond – Poor (2012)Birch Street northeast of Rugg Pond – Poor

(2011)

Walking the RiverThe ESLA Teams walked the length of Rapid

River from Rugg Pond to Torch River.The length of this stretch by Valley Road is 8.1

miles, but walking the meandering River is probably twice that length or more.

Other than road crossings, only two erosion sites were identified as caused by human intervention, both in the 7 Bridges area.

Other erosion was natural and minor, such as under cutting of banks – vegetation on the banks was very heavy throughout this stretch of the River.

Establish Ongoing Data Collection SitesTransducer placed at the Rapid City Road

crossing – collects water level and temperature data every 30 minutes 24 hours a day.

4 staff gauges installed - Freedom Park, Wood Road NW, Seeley Road, and 131 Bridge – periodic measurements at these sites include water level, water velocity, suspended sediments, and dissolved oxygen.

Temperature loggers also installed at the above sites, plus Hansen Road and west of Aarwood Bridge.

Ponding behind an undersized culvertAt Priest Rd - headwaters

Very steepapproaches withwashed out berms

WOOD RD NE Improvements by KalkaskaCounty Road CommissionFall 2011

WOOD RD NEImprovements by KalkaskaCounty Road CommissionFall 2011

S.W.A.T. AnalysisPaul Richards Ph.D.

Soil Water Assessment ToolModel applies soil data and land cover data to

estimated sediment loading into the Rapid RiverMost sediment loading is occurring in:

Kellog Rd (subbasin 16) - 735 tons/yr/km2Rapid City Rd (subbain 17) - 220 tons/yr/kmUnderhill Rd (subbasin 15) - 163.6 tons/yr/km2

4,000 tons of sediment reach Rapid City Rd. each year

3,000 tons reach Aawood Bridge1,000 tons reach Torch River each year

Sediment and Nutrient Fluxes by Outlet

Rapid River

2012 work on the Rapid and Torch Rivers

Funders:Elk Skegemog Lakes AssociationThree Lakes Association

Field and lab associates from MSU: Lon Cooper, Blaze Budd, and Jordan Hein

Local volunteers: Dean Branson, Bob Kingon, Fred Sittel

Co-Investigators:Brett Fessell and Frank Dituri

Grand Traverse Band of Chippewa and Ottawa IndiansKevin Cronk

Tip of the Mitt Watershed CouncilPaul Richards

State University of New York, Brockport

Project Partners

Watershed sediment source modelingSurveying historical conditionField campaign

Channel depthsStream flowsStream and lake elevations

Make recommendations for management options

Project Elements

Bathymetry Data

Aerial Photo Analysis

1938 1998

Torch and Rapid Depths

Ü0 0.25 0.50.125 Miles

Water Depth

feet

0

0 - 2

2 - 3

3 - 4

4 - 6

6 - 8

8 - 10Ü0 0.1 0.20.05 Miles

Water Depth

feet

0

0 - 2

2 - 3

3 - 4

4 - 6

6 - 8

8 - 10

Upper Torch and Lower Rapid1950s

1938

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

Ü0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.80.1

Miles

Confluence of Torch and Rapid

0 330 660 1320 feet

1950s

1938

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

Lower Torch

1950s

1938

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

Ü0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.80.1

Miles

Torch River

Torch River Widening

Bank Widening (1990s - 1938)

feet

-99 - 0

1 - 25

26 - 50

51 - 75

76 - 100

101 - 150

151 - 364

Ü0 0.3 0.60.15 Miles

Widening and Depths

Water Depth

feet

0

0 - 2

2 - 3

3 - 4

4 - 6

6 - 8

8 - 10

Ü0 0.3 0.60.15 Miles

Sedimentation and bank erosion is a problem caused largely by human activities: damming Elk Lake, land use in watersheds, road crossings, engineered structures, etc.But these rivers always move sand!

It has taken over 100 years for the state of the system to reach this point

Any action must take into account all of the users and uses of the waterways and watersheds

Management Options: A Holistic Approach

Bank Stabilization with Large Woody Debris

Photos: US Forest Service

Managing Elk Lake’s Off-Season Level

579

588.9590.45 591.2

Elk/Skegemog Lakes

TorchRiver

Grass RIver

LakeBellaireTorch / Clam Lakes

LakeMichigan

Next StepsGrant to assist in improving road crossings (applied)Revision of S.W.A.T. Analysis with more data from

recordings and MSU researchRecommendations from MSU (final report in June)Consult with Traverse Bay Watershed Center and

Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council (grant opportunities)

Assess results of Grass River LWD project and implications for Rapid and Torch Rivers

September meeting of Friends of Rapid River - Update