The Alliance of Downriver Watersheds (ADW) is a permanent watershed organization in southeast Michigan and formed under Public Act 517 of the Public Laws of 2004. The ADW formally established themselves in 2007 but have been working together for many years to manage the area’s water resources. The ADW consists of 23 public agencies in the Ecorse Creek, Combined Downriver and Lower Huron River Watersheds within Wayne and Monroe Counties. The ADW is relatively urban in nature consisting of 203.3 square miles and more than 450,000 people (2010 census). Major watercourses within the ADW that drain to the Detroit River and Lake Erie include the Ecorse Creek, Sexton Kilfoil Drain, Frank and Poet Drain, Blakely Drain, Brownstown Creek, Huron River, Silver Creek and Woods Creek.
The consortium of agencies that make up the ADW meet on a regular basis and work together to cooperatively manage the rivers, lakes and streams within the watershed. Examples of ADW efforts include long-term water quality monitoring, stormwater permit compliance and reporting to the State, submittal of grant applications for water quality improvements, and public education on items such as rain barrel use, no phosphorus fertilizer, and proper pet waste management.
