Manistique River
Manistique River | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | Michigan |
Region | Upper Peninsula |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Alger County, Michigan |
• coordinates | 46°14′49″N 85°51′07″W / 46.247°N 85.852°W[1] |
Mouth | |
• location | Lake Michigan |
• coordinates | 45°56′53″N 86°14′46″W / 45.948°N 86.246°W |
Length | 71 miles (114 km) |
Basin size | 1,461 sq mi (3,780 km2) |
The Manistique River (
Boreal forest wetlands
The drainage of the Manistique River is very flat and
Lakes
Major lakes drained by the Manistique River include Indian Lake north of Manistique, Manistique Lake in the central Upper Peninsula, and two tributary lakes, North Manistique Lake and South Manistique Lake. The lakes have several motorboat ramps.[3]
Recreation
Because the Manistique River is relatively slow and flat through much of its length, it is a favorite for novice-to-intermediate-level
challenges anglers.Environmental conditions
Great Lakes Area of Concern
Due to environmental contamination, a portion of the river was designated a Great Lakes Area of Concern (AOC) under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1987. The designated site includes the lowermost 1.7-mile (2.7 km) portion of the Manistique River downstream of a dam in the city of Manistique, as well as the Manistique harbor at the mouth of the river on Lake Michigan.[4][5] Sediments at the site contained high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals resulting from historical pollution by sawmills, a paper mill, and small industries along the river.[4][6] A 1996 remedial action plan for the AOC identified five "beneficial use impairments" caused by the pollution:
- restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption[4] due to PCBs and heavy metals in sediments[7]
- degradation of benthos,[4] which was first documented in the 1950s and has been attributed to wood fibers and waste deposited by sawmill and paper mill operations, combined sewer overflows, and chemical wastes[7]
- restrictions on dredging activities[4] due to high levels of PCBs and heavy metals including lead, zinc, cadmium, chromium, and copper in sediments[7]
- beach closings or potential restrictions on body contact[4][6] due to the potential for high bacterial levels caused by combined sewer overflows[7]
- loss of fish and wildlife habitat,[4] including impacts on the site's coldwater fishery[7]
Three of these impairments have been removed from the designation (degradation of benthos in 2006, loss of fish and wildlife habitat in 2008, and beach closings in 2009) following remediation projects,[4] which have included placement of temporary caps over contaminated areas and dredging of contaminated sediment, beginning in the 1990s.[7]
Sea lamprey
A 1996 report identified the Manistique River as having the largest run of invasive sea lamprey in Lake Michigan,[6] and a 2007 survey identified the river as the second-largest source of sea lamprey larvae in the Lake Michigan watershed.[8] Lampreys historically were prevented from swimming upstream of the lowermost portion of the river by a dam in the city of Manistique, built in 1919.[6][8] Deterioration of the dam has made it less effective as a barrier to sea lamprey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies have developed plans to install a sea lamprey barrier at the site.[8][9]
References
- ^ "Manistique River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed December 19, 2011
- ^ a b Michigan Atlas and Gazetteer (10th ed.). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2002.
- ^ a b c d e f g h United States Environmental Protection Agency (2015-01-26). "About Manistique River AOC". Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- ^ United States Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes National Program Office (2004). "Manistique River Area of Concern boundary map" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- ^ a b c d Manistique River Area of Concern Public Advisory Council (1996-02-20). "Manistique River Area of Concern, Manistique, Michigan, Remedial Action Plan Update" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- ^ a b c d e f Triad Engineering Incorporated and Terrafirma Environmental, Inc. (September 2002). "Remedial Action Plan Update, Manistique River and Harbor Area of Concern, Manistique, Michigan" (PDF). Great Lakes Commission and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- ^ a b c U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Midwest Region (2007-08-31). "Field Notes Entry: Manistique River Sea Lamprey Barrier Project". Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- ^ Beck, Jordan (2018-07-09). "Manistique to get lamprey barrier". The Daily News. Retrieved 2019-10-04.