Lake Charlevoix GSI Visioning

Green Stormwater Infrastructure - Public Visioning

Public Input for Green Stormwater Infrastructure Practices

Residents of Boyne City, Charlevoix, and East Jordan are invited to participate in a unique Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) visioning process, which will help to preserve and protect the high quality of the Lake Charlevoix Watershed.

A public meeting was hosted on October 15, 2020 at 5:30 p.m.  A video of this meeting is available for viewing here.  Now, members of each community are also encouraged to participate in the surveys below. Simply click the box that corresponds to your city to view the unique StoryMap and access the survey.

Scroll down for more info on the Watershed background and GSI practices, or use the grey navigation bar along the top of your screen.

Green Stormwater Infrastructure Opportunity for Lake Charlevoix Watershed Residents

Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council is pleased to offer a new opportunity for property owners in the Lake Charlevoix Watershed. We will be assessing Green Stormwater Infrastructure opportunities for residential property owners or businesses during the spring of 2021. Residents of Boyne City, Charlevoix, and East Jordan are encouraged to sign up for this program and receive a free site visit and consultation next spring.  Please fill out this form  and a representative from the Watershed Council will be in touch to schedule the visit.

Lake Charlevoix Watershed

Lake Charlevoix is one of Michigan’s premier inland lakes. With a surface area over 17,200 acres, it is the third largest lake in Michigan.

The Watershed also consists of several smaller lakes including Deer, Nowland, Adams, and Round Lakes. The Pine River and Round Lake, located in the Watershed’s northwest end connects Lake Charlevoix to Lake Michigan.

    The Lake Charlevoix Watershed is one of Northern Michigan’s largest watersheds covering approximately 332 square miles, or 212,515 acres, in Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, and Otsego Counties. This means that preservation of this resource is paramount to the health and well-being of the surrounding communities.

Overall, the water quality of the Lake Charlevoix Watershed’s lakes and streams is excellent. Unfortunately, this has not always been the case. During the late 1800s, widespread lumbering and industrial development in Boyne City, Charlevoix, and East Jordan brought about devastating impacts to the Watershed.

Lake Charlevoix in particular was primarily seen as a resource for water supply, navigation, and waste disposal. Although the era of intense lumbering has passed and the remaining industries are no longer emitting as many pollutants into the air and water, water quality concerns still exist for Lake Charlevoix and its tributaries.

The pollutants that threaten Lake Charlevoix’s health today are not from tanneries and lumber companies, but from sources all around the Watershed. The two primary pollutants of concern are nutrients and sediments. These originate from a variety of everyday activities like shoreline development, lawn maintenance, streambank erosion, road/stream crossings, and agricultural activities.

Fortunately, there are actions that everyone can take to be sure we lessen these impacts on water resources. Together we can keep the Lake Charlevoix Watershed an exceptional resource for all.

STORMWATER THREAT TO WATER QUALITY

One cause of nonpoint source pollution is stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff is generated when rain or snowmelt flows over land or impervious surfaces (paved streets, parking lots, and building rooftops) and is directed into our surface waters instead of soaking into the ground. Stormwater accumulates debris, chemicals, sediment, nutrients, or other pollutants that adversely affect water quality of nearby lakes, streams, and wetlands.

What is GSI?

Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) is an approach to land management that works with nature to manage stormwater. GSI uses native vegetation and natural processes to capture pollutants, minimize nutrient runoff, and reduce stormwater.

What are the benefits of GSI?

GSI offers a number of advantages over traditional, engineered stormwater drainage approaches, including:

  • Addresses stormwater at its source - GSI practices seek to manage rainfall where it falls, reducing or eliminating the need for detention ponds and flood controls.
  • Promotes groundwater recharge - Many GSI techniques allow stormwater to infiltrate the earth, recharging groundwater aquifers.
  • Allows for more flexible site layouts - Designs can incorporate stormwater management in a variety of open spaces and smaller landscaped areas.
  • Preserves streams and watersheds - GSI practices reduce both pollutant loads and streambank erosion associated with peak flows because of greater infiltration.
  • Enhances aesthetics and public access/use - Well-designed vegetated practices, such as rain gardens, should be visually appealing as well as functional.
  • Reduces costs - GSI reduces the need for pipes, asphalt, detention basins, or other infrastructure traditionally needed to handle runoff. It can also reduce energy costs and increase potential developable land area.

Types of Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI)

Rain Gardens and Bioretention

Rain gardens, also known as bioretention (“bio” meaning the use of plants and “retention” referring to the stormwater that is stored before it soaks into the ground) basins, are native, perennial gardens strategically located to capture runoff from impervious surfaces. Rain gardens increase aesthetic value, absorb water, promote infiltration, reduce runoff, protect water quality, and prevent flooding.

Greenbelts/Native Shoreline

Native shorelines (also called riparian buffers) provide many benefits to the lake ecosystem, including shoreline stabilization and erosion control, habitat for shoreline-dependent species, infiltration of runoff, and filtration of pollutants such as sediments, nutrients, and chemicals.

Porous Pavements

Porous or permeable pavement surfaces allow stormwater to infiltrate into underlying soils, thereby promoting pollutant treatment and groundwater recharge. Permeable paving surfaces may include vegetated grid systems, permeable paver blocks, porous concrete, or porous asphalt. They are suited for parking lots, low traffic residential streets, driveways, and sidewalks.

Bioswale

Bioswales slowly convey water to storm sewer inlets or surface waters and filter runoff. Bioswales are linear, shallow, vegetated channels that convey stormwater from one point to another. Oftentimes, they are used to guide runoff from its entry point on the property towards a nearby rain garden, dry well or other structure. 

Tree Box Filter

Tree box filters help to effectively manage stormwater by providing areas where water can collect, undergo filtration, and either naturally seep into the ground, be absorbed by the tree, or be transferred to storm drains.

Green Alley

Alleys and low traffic roads can incorporate permeable pavers and underground stormwater storage to help intercept, filter, and infiltrate stormwater before it drains into stormwater catch basins. Pedestrian alleys can also feature stormwater planter boxes, which are similar to raised bioretention beds.

Street Trees

Unlike tree box filters, street trees do not receive stormwater runoff from the roadway. They help reduce the heat island effect of urban areas and intercept and absorb small amounts of rainfall.

Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council

Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council is dedicated to protecting our lakes, streams, wetlands, and groundwater through respected advocacy, innovative education, technically sound water quality monitoring, thorough research, and restoration actions. We achieve our mission by empowering others and we believe in the capacity to make a positive difference. We work locally, regionally, and throughout the Great Lakes Basin to achieve our goals.

Funding for this project was generously provided by the Charlevoix County Community Foundation, and the Coastal Management Program, Water Resources Division, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.