The ADW works together on a number of initiatives, publications and reports to meet stormwater permit requirements and improve water quality in the region. Watershed Management Plans for the three watersheds that comprise the ADW were updated in 2012 and provide detail on existing conditions, goals and priority improvements and projects. Annual Reports are completed to detail the past years’ efforts and accomplishments. The ADW also sponsors a number of training opportunities, public awareness campaigns and community outreach activities.
Initiatives
Recent Initiatives
The ADW celebrates Downriver water through our Focus on Downriver Photo Contest. Photographers from all around the Downriver area enter their photos to win cash prizes and the opportunity for their photo to be featured in the ADW Community Calendar. We love seeing Downriver through the eyes of residents! See winners here.
The ADW is supporting member communities in taking action to protect clean water and public health from toxic pavement sealants. A webinar was held in June 2019. The presentation and an example brochure are available for community use. If you have questions about how the Huron River Watershed Council (HRWC) and the ADW can support your community’s efforts to reduce PAHs, contact Andrea Paine, Watershed Planning Associate at HRWC, apaine@hrwc.org, (734) 769-5123 x613.
You can also check out this news story featured on Michigan Radio’s The Environment Report.
Through the EPA’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), the ADW has been granted funds to map and prioritize locations of invasive species in our communities. Data collected through this process will hopefully be used in future programs to remove environmentally harmful invasive species. We need your help to properly identify, map and prioritize invasive species in ADW communities. Click here to access the map.
The ADW members have worked over the past few years to purchase and install 80 signs throughout the watershed to help raise awareness of the resources in the region. Signs have been placed along many roads where creeks or streams cross as well as at locations near the watershed boundaries. For a map of the sign locations Click here. If your community is interested in additional signs, please contact Wayne County at 734.326.4469.
Each year, the ADW supports the designated Green Schools within our watershed. In past years, the ADW purchased trees to plant on the Green Schools’ property. In 2016, the ADW awarded 5 Green Schools in the ADW with a $1,300 voucher to be used to host the University of Michigan, Museum of Natural History’s River Residency Stream Table Simulation Workshops. This program continued in 2018 with 9 schools awarded as highlighted in this River Residency Summary and budget is set aside to continue in 2019. For more information on the Green Schools program Click here.
Grow Zone/Green Roof Project Summaries
Brownstown Middle School Green Roof
Erving Elementary School Green Roof
Frank and Poet Riparian Buffer
Gudith Elementary School Wildflowers
Huroc Park Riparian Buffer
Labo Park Project
O.W. Best Middle School Native Plant Garden
Riparian Buffer at Lake Erie Metropark
Riverview Riparian Buffer
Village Hall Native Garden
Wilson Middle School Wildflower Gardens
Woods Creek Riparian Restoration
Presentations
ADW Green Roof Projects Monitoring Results – 2012
State and Regional Perspectives on Green Infrastructure
Nancy Krupiarz
Nina Ignaczak
Anita Twardesky
Climate Trends in Michigan and the Great Lakes
Jeffrey Andresen
Using Green Practices to Improve Water Quality and Save Money
David Misky
Green Roofs
Neil Greene and David Chwalibog
Donald Carpenter
Quantifying the Benefits of Green Infrastructure in SE Michigan
Matthew Vernier and Sudha Maheshwari
Green Streets and Michigan Avenue Ultra-Urban Bioretention (Lansing)
Kelly Karll
Dan Christian and Valerie Novaes
Re-tooling Ann Arbor’s Storm Water Utility to Address Changing Legal Precedents
Jerry Hancock
Measuring Impacts of Neighborhood LID: Towar Rain Gardens and Millers Creek
Patrick Lindemann
Paul Steen
Integrating Green Infrastructure into the DWSD CSO Program
Amy Mangus and Kelly Karll
Watershed Management Plans
Final Ecorse Creek Watershed Management Plan June 2012
MDEQ Approval Letter
Final Combined Downriver Watershed Management Plan July 2012
MDEQ Approval Letter
Final Lower Huron River Watershed Management Plan May 2012
MDEQ Approval Letter
Reports
Annual Reports
2021 Collaborative ADW Biennial Report Elements for MS4 Use
ADW Biennial Report 2018-2019
ADW Biennial Report 2016-2017
ADW Biennial Report 2014-2015
ADW Biennial Report 2012-2013
ADW Annual Report 2011
Monitoring Reports
ADW BioMonitoring 2023
Current Chemistry and Flow Monitoring Report
ADW Monitoring Results Presentation 2023
Explore Current Data:
Biomonitoring Data
Chemistry Data
Flow Data