This program is just one example of an integrated Research, Education and Extension project that has positively impacted water quality. Please check back periodically for other highlighted programs.
Enhancing Phosphorus Reduction Strategies in the Kalamazoo River Basin
The Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) provisions fo the Federal Clean Water Act are increasingly driving point and non-point source surface water pollution reduction efforts in Michigan, the Great Lakes region and the nation. Southwest Michigan's Kalamazoo River watershed presents unique research and extension opportunities for learning how to successfully develop and implement TMDL goals in agricultural watersheds.
The Kalamazoo River watershed drains a 2,020 square mile area located in southwest lower Michigan. The river has a legacy of serious industrial and nutrient pollution. A famous 1953 Life magazine photograph depicts a portion of the river covered with a solid four-acre mat of dead carp, killed by contamination-induced oxygen depletion. Pollution reduction efforts have greatly improved the river, and it is now a significant regional scenic and recreational resource. However, serious water impairments and threats still exist.
One major water quality problem is nutrient enrichment of Lake Allegan, an impoundment located 21 river miles upstream from Lake Michigan. Previous studies identified phosphorus enrichment as the primary cause of lake eutrophication, leading to nuisance algal blooms, low dissoved oxygen levels, poor water clarity and an unbalanced fishery heavily dominated by carp. It is estimated that about one-third of the phosphorus comes from industrial and municipal discharges. The remaining two-thirds is from runoff, poorly functioning septic systems, livestock, pets and wildlife, and improper and illicit connections of sanitary discharges to storm sewers. Most pollutants flowing through the river and its tributaries eventually reach Lake Allegan. The impoundment is on Michigan's 303(d) list of impaired waters.
A large and diverse group of citzens came together during more than 100 public meetings to prepare a TMDL and implementation plan for the Kalamazoo River Basin. The EPA has approved this community-based strategy, allowing for a more voluntary approach than typical for the TMDL process. The TMDL sets phosphorus reduction targets of 23 percent for point source, and up to 50 percent for all non-point sources during the growing season. The plan outlines desired phosphorus reduction goals and strategies in each of the following areas: point sources, agriculture, greenhouse nutrient management, turf management and alternative landscapes, municipal stormwater, industrial storm water, on-site sanitation systems, in-lake and in-stream processes, transportation, construction sites and land use. Local stakeholders from each category developed the strategies for attaining phosphorus reduction targets. A stakeholder-led implementation committee has been formed to provide leadership, oversight and coordination for the implementation plan.
The project’s goal is to reduce phosphorus loading to the
Kalamazoo River watershed through stakeholder-driven research,
education and facilitation. The overarching hypothesis driving
this project is that effective environmental remediation occurs
when decisions by stakeholders are science-based. Project goals will
be achieved through three inter-related sets of efforts, with the
TMDL implementation committee playing a central
role in advising the research process, setting education goals
and serving as an information clearinghouse.
The Michigan State University (MSU) Extension Land and Water Program (ELWP) at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) has been involved with the Kalamazoo Basin TMDL since its early phases, and became interested in the question of how stakeholder-driven research and extension could assist, guide and support implementation of phosphorus reduction strategies. That interest resulted in several grant-funded efforts that supplement ongoing water quality education efforts in the watershed. These include:
An
$11,000 grant from the MDEQ in 2000 resulting in development
of TMDL education materials, presentations
and a guide.
A component
of a Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension
Service (CSREES) section 406 project funded through
September 2003. ELWP staff members are working as part of
a team to evaluate educational delivery strategies and attitudes
in agricultural watersheds, including the Kalamazoo River
watershed. Results from this project are helping us refine
our approaches to extension programming.
A watershed
plan implementation project funded by EPA/MDEQ through Clean
Water Act Section 319 until April 2004. This
$249,000 effort places the KBS Land & Water Program in
a lead role to facilitate the TMDL implementation process,
conduct educational programs and develop a web-based phosphorus
reduction tracking system.
As a result of these efforts, ELWP plays a central role
in facilitating TMDL activities, serving as a source of research-based
information and integrating TMDL educational efforts throughout
the watershed. MSU’s involvement adds unique research,
extension and facilitation capacities.
For more information, contact Dean Solomon,
Extension Program Coordinator at 269-671-2412 x221 or solomon@msu.edu or
view the project
description 
on
the CSREES Current Research Information System (CRIS).
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