Detroit River Research Articles

Habitat rehabilitation in the Detroit River Area of Concern

Loss and degradation of fish and wildlife habitat is a long-standing issue in the Detroit River. The Detroit River Remedial Action Plan helped agencies and stakeholder groups reach agreement on impaired beneficial uses, including loss of fish and wildlife habitat, and helped mobilize all stakeholders to rehabilitate habitat. Many organizations played key roles, including the Detroit River Public Advisory Council, Detroit River Canadian Cleanup, State of the Strait Conferences, American and Canadian Heritage River Initiatives, Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, and Western Lake Erie Watersheds Priority Natural Area. Accomplishments include: 14 habitat restoration projects on both the Canadian and U.S. side of the Detroit River; 53 soft shoreline engineering projects in the watershed; nine fish spawning reefs in the river, Common Tern habitat in four locations; and many wetland and green infrastructure projects. Based on Detroit River habitat restoration efforts over the last 32 years, the following advice is offered: reach agreement on severity and geographic extent of the problem; practice adaptive management; involve habitat experts up front in project design; establish quantitative targets for project success; ensure sound multidisciplinary technical support; start with demonstration projects; treat habitat projects as experiments; involve citizen scientists in monitoring; measure benefits; communicate and celebrate successes; promote education and outreach.

Symmetry and solitude: Status and lessons learned from binational Areas of Concern

Areas of Concern are geographically distinct areas within the waters of the Great Lakes that are contaminated to the extent that they were originally identified by the International Joint Commission’s Water Quality Board and later codified in the 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement as areas requiring remedial actions. Five of the 43 Areas of Concern are binational (Canada, USA), and are located on every river or connecting channel that drains a Great Lake. Implementing an ecosystem approach, as called for in the Agreement, presents unique challenges for binational Areas of Concern due to multiple jurisdictions and communities, and hence greater institutional, program and participatory complexity. Our review of progress in each of the binational Areas of Concern suggests that a binational and ecosystem-oriented approach is underway in the St. Marys, St. Clair and Detroit River Areas of Concern, while the Niagara River and St. Lawrence River Areas of Concern are proceeding on decidedly more independent domestic tracks. Our case study analysis of the Detroit River and St. Lawrence River Areas of Concern suggest that well developed and formal governance frameworks, the establishment of informal networks, and maintaining flexibility within a science-focused approach create conditions better suited to a binational, ecosystem-oriented means of remediation.

Biomonitoring of Mercury and Persistent Organic Pollutants in Michigan Urban Anglers and Association with Fish Consumption

The 32-mile Detroit River and surrounding tributaries have been designated as a Great Lakes Area of Concern due to pollution from decades of municipal and industrial discharges, sewer overflows and urban development. Key pollutants in fish samples from the Detroit River include mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), dioxins and furans. A biomonitoring study was conducted to assess exposures to these persistent toxic substances in Detroit urban anglers who may be at higher exposure risk due to consumption of locally caught fish. Using a modified venue-based sampling approach, 287 adult shoreline anglers along the Detroit River were recruited and participated in the program. Study participants provided blood and urine specimens and completed a questionnaire interview. We examined percentile estimates for total blood mercury, PCBs, DDE, and dioxin-like total toxic equivalency (TEQ) concentrations among study participants compared with the general U.S. population. Multiple linear regression was used to identify important predictors of contaminant concentrations. Quantile regression was used to investigate whether eating locally caught fish had a differential effect at various quantiles of each contaminant. Participants reported eating an average of 20 Detroit River caught fish meals in the past year. The Detroit urban anglers’ total blood mercury and PCB concentrations were 2 to 3 times higher than the general U.S. population. Elevated levels of DDE and total TEQ concentrations were not observed in the cohort. Eating more locally caught fish was associated with higher total blood mercury and serum PCB concentrations, and this effect had a larger impact at higher quantiles of these biomarkers. The biomonitoring data served to inform public health officials and guide state and local public health actions to reduce harmful exposures.

Re-Assessing Bridge Options in the Detroit-Windsor Corridor: Economics and Pragmatism Versus Politics

For the last decade, the Government of Canada has been determined to build a new bridge across the Detroit River – the busiest trade corridor on the Canada-United States border. This drive led Canada to agree in its 2012 “Crossing Agreement” with Michigan to basically finance the entire project and to take all of the financial risk related to its future operations. Yet, these blanket commitments may prove problematic as project costs estimates for its “Gordie Howe Bridge” project continue to grow. Official project estimates were re-set in April 2018 to C$4.8 million – 17% above the original C$4 billion budget. The proposed construction of the Gordie Howe Bridge comes at a time of significantly declining traffic volumes across the Canada-U.S. border. Traffic on the Ambassador Bridge, the main full service crossing in the Detroit-Windsor corridor, was down 44% between 2000-2017. With traffic stagnating, toll revenues are unlikely to grow in the years ahead. This paper lays out the issues around the Gordie Howe project and calculates the estimated required annual Canadian Government subsidy to the Bridge and related infrastructure. It compares three scenarios: status quo, a doubling of tolls, and a tripling of tolls. Under the most optimistic scenario, Canadian taxpayers, by the terms of the Crossing Agreement, will be required to subsidize the Gordie Howe Bridge a rate of US$100 million per year. The paper then assesses an alternative approach: embracing the proposal by the owners of the Ambassador Bridge to build a new privately funded span adjacent to the existing crossing. The estimated cost of achieving basically an equivalent outcome in infrastructure functionality would be C$420 million - less than one-tenth of the cost of the Gordie Howe project. Ultimately, the paper asks, how much is public ownership and control of a bridge worth? The paper concludes that the significant financial liabilities surrounding the Gordie Howe Bridge suggest that the project be shelved.

Evaluation and Comparison of a Habitat Suitability Model for Postdrift Larval Lake Sturgeon in the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers

AbstractWe evaluated composition and spatial distribution of riverine nursery habitat for larval Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens in the Middle Channel of the St. Clair River, Michigan, and Fighting Island Channel of the Detroit River, Ontario, using a habitat suitability model (HSM) and fish collections. Although model outputs indicated similar portions of high‐quality habitat in the Middle Channel (16.9%) and Fighting Island Channel (15.7%), larval abundance and dispersal patterns varied between these systems. Analysis with Akaike's information criterion indicated that a regression model using sand–silt substrate performed best at predicting the observed water‐volume‐standardized CPUE (number of larvae·h−1·m−3) in the Middle Channel. Of 93 larvae that were collected in the Middle Channel, most were found to cluster at three distinct areas of high‐ and moderate‐quality habitat, which was composed predominately of sand–silt substrate. Lengths of larvae varied by as much as 9 mm, and the degree of yolk sac absorption also varied, indicating that larvae in the Middle Channel remained within the channel after a short drift downstream. Of the 25 larvae that were collected in Fighting Island Channel, distribution was sporadic, and occurrence did not significantly correlate with measured habitat variables. Larvae were relatively homogeneous in size and yolk sac stage, indicating that newly emerged larvae did not utilize available habitat in Fighting Island Channel but instead drifted into the main channel of the Detroit River. Dispersal patterns indicate variability in young Lake Sturgeon ecology, which is dependent on local habitat conditions—most notably, substrate composition. Furthermore, modeled larval–habitat associations found in this study were compared to a similar study on larval Lake Sturgeon from the North Channel of the St. Clair River. Model outputs from all three systems accurately accounted for observed larval dispersal patterns among both rivers. This supports the transferability of an HSM parameterized for Lake Sturgeon from individual river reaches within two large river systems.

Water and sediment as sources of phosphate in aquatic ecosystems: The Detroit River and its role in the Laurentian Great Lakes

Eutrophication of freshwater ecosystems and harmful algal blooms (HABs) are an ongoing concern affecting water quality in the Great Lakes watershed of North America. Despite binational management efforts, Lake Erie has been at the center of dissolved reactive phosphate driven eutrophication research due to its repeated cycles of algae blooms. We investigated the Detroit River, the largest source of water entering Lake Erie, with the objectives to (1) characterize Detroit River phosphate levels within water and sediment, and (2) use multiple chemical and isotopic tracers to identify nutrient sources in the Detroit River. Riverine water and sediment samples were collected at 23 locations across 8 transects of the Detroit River. The bulk δ15N values from sediments were enriched compared the δ15N values of nitrate from water samples, consistent with biogeochemical cycling in the sediment. Principle component analysis of multiple chemical tracers from water samples found spatial variation consistent with multiple sources including synthetic and manure-derived fertilizers and wastewater effluent. The concentrations of phosphate dissolved in water were within regulatory guidelines; however, sediments had elevated concentrations of both water- and acid-extractable phosphate. Sediment-sequestered legacy phosphorus historically deposited in the Detroit River may be transported into Lake Erie and, if mobilized into the water column, be an unrecognized internal-load that contributes to algal bloom events. Globally, freshwater ecosystems are impacted by numerous non-point source phosphorus inputs contributing to eutrophication and the use of multiple tracer approaches will increase our ability to effectively manage aquatic ecosystems.

Factors influencing microplastic abundances in nearshore, tributary and beach sediments along the Ontario shoreline of Lake Erie

Abstract Sediment samples were collected from nearshore, tributary and beach environments within and surrounding the northern part of Lake Erie, Ontario to determine the concentrations and distribution of microplastics. Following density separation and microscopic analysis of 29 samples, a total of 1178 microplastic particles were identified. Thirteen nearshore samples contained 0–391 microplastic particles per kg dry weight sediment (kg−1), whereas 4 tributary samples contained 10–462 kg−1 and 12 beach samples contained 50–146 kg−1. The highest concentrations of nearshore microplastics were from near the mouths of the Detroit River in the western basin and the Grand River in the eastern basin, reflecting an urban influence. The highest microplastic concentrations in beach samples were determined from Rondeau Beach in the central basin where geomorphology affects plastics concentration. The Welland Canal sample in the eastern basin contained the greatest concentration of microplastics of the tributary samples, which is consistent with high population density and shipping traffic. The overall abundance of microplastic in northern Lake Erie nearshore, tributary and beach samples is 6 times lower than in sediment sampled from northern Lake Ontario. The nearshore and beach sample results potentially reflect the transport patterns of floating plastics modeled for Lake Erie, which predict that the majority of plastic particles entering the lake are transported to southern shoreline regions rather than northern areas.

Contrasting sources and mobility of trace metals in recent sediments of western Lake Erie

Abstract Concentrations of the major and trace metals varied considerably in the western basin of Lake Erie, ranging from 0.9 to 25.3 mg/g for aluminum, from 2.9 to 36.5 mg/g for iron, from 6.4 to 74.8 mg/g for calcium, from 1.2 to 13.5 μg/g for cobalt, from 2.8 to 61.6 μg/g for copper, from 2.7 to 83.0 μg/g for lead, from 0.1 to 2.9 μg/g for cadmium, and from 7.1 to 127.3 μg/g for strontium. Distinct patterns of sediment metal variability allowed the identification of two major fluvial sources and some active in-lake biogeochemical processes. The inputs of Sr were largely from the Maumee River, the inputs of Cu, Pb, Cd, and Co were dominated by the Detroit River, and the inputs of Fe and Al were roughly evenly from the two rivers. The removal of Sr and Ca from the water column was mainly through coprecipitation with calcite. In contrast, the transfer of Cu, Pb, Cd, and Co was largely attributed to the removal of fine sediment particles from the Detroit River mouth and adjacent nearshore areas and the deposition of the metals scavenged by settling organic materials in the basin's central deeper areas. The mobility of the trace metals was different during the in-lake mass transfer, with Co being the most mobile and Cd being the least mobile. Furthermore, the trace metal mobility differences have decreased significantly during the past half-century due to a substantial increase in organic matter from eutrophication in the basin.

Huron-to-Erie Water Quality Data Platform

To address the challenges of environmental degradation, creation of a sustainable urban environment, and increased public engagement and awareness, a mass-oriented, user-friendly and cloud-based data platform has been developed and deployed to provide integrative water quality data in one of the most critical urban corridors of the Laurentian Great Lakes system. In this paper, we describe the data platform developed for the watershed and connecting channels between Lake Huron and Lake Erie, including the St. Clair River, Lake St. Chair, and the Detroit River. This data platform greatly facilitates the access of data across data providers and agencies. Several example applications are provided of platform use for temporal and spatial characterization of intake water source quality and urban beach health through consideration of Escherichia coli, Dissolved Oxygen, pH, and blue-green algae detections along the Huron-to-Erie corridor. Although data collection for each of these parameters was designed for unique purposes and supported through varied agencies, this paper shows the collective advantages of applying the data beyond the original scope of collection.

Habitat use and small-scale residence patterns of sympatric sunfish species in a large temperate river

Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) sunfish function as a trophic link between invertebrates and piscivores in temperate freshwater food webs, but little is known about their movement in large-scale riverine ecosystems. To address this, pumpkinseed and bluegill were implanted with acoustic transmitters and monitored for 5 months (June to November 2015) within a 0.39 km2 acoustic array in the Detroit River. Residence index analysis revealed site fidelity of sunfish to the side of the river they were tagged and a lack of movement across a shipping channel. Bluegill were more active at night and pumpkinseed more active during daylight hours, possibly partitioning resources on a temporal basis, unlike in smaller lakes where the species partition the littoral and pelagic habitats. Pumpkinseed presence was positively correlated with water temperature and level, whereas bluegill presence was not related to any environmental parameters examined. This study demonstrates that anthropogenic alterations (e.g., channelization) influence the movement and distribution of fishes and that fish behaviour in a large river ecosystem can differ from smaller temperate lakes.

Analyzing stakeholder's perceptions of uncertainty to advance collaborative sustainability science: Case study of the watershed assessment of nutrient loads to the Detroit River project

The topic of uncertainty is of growing interest in the impact assessment (IA) field, due to increases in contextual uncertainty and the awareness of the complexity of advanced analysis. IA practitioners can now draw on maturing theoretical frameworks to manage uncertainty, but questions remain about whether these frameworks align with stakeholder concerns and how their use can benefit IA projects. This article reports on an empirical application of the leading framework for organizing IA uncertainty proposed by Walker et al. in 2003. Twenty-two stakeholders involved in a large water quality modeling project in the U.S. Great Lakes region were interviewed, and their uncertainty-related statements were categorized according to the Walker dimensions. Overall, the framework's three primary dimensions performed well and allowed for the analysis of differences in uncertainty perceptions among the stakeholder groups. In addition, the analysis resulted in useful insights for the project, such as identifying top scenario uncertainties to use for modeling as well as highlighting specific concerns about the assumptions, data, and modeling approach for further exploration. In addition to encompassing the variety of uncertainty concerns raised in the case, the paper illustrates how the Walker framework can support IA practices like stakeholder collaboration and scenario construction which may improve IA outcomes.

Legacy of legacies: Chlorinated naphthalenes in Lake Trout, Walleye, Herring Gull eggs and sediments from the Laurentian Great Lakes indicate possible resuspension during contaminated sediment remediation

Polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) are legacy contaminants, produced primarily as flame retardants and dielectrics until phased-out in Europe and North America in the 1970s. Spatial and temporal trends (1979–2013) of PCN concentrations were studied in whole fish and herring gull eggs throughout the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, whereas sediments were analyzed for 2011–2013 only. For both fish and gull eggs, concentrations of PCNs were highest in western Lake Erie (7660 & 3020pg/gww respectively), and declined downstream to St. Lawrence River (range: 34–2370pg/gww). For sediments, concentrations were highest in suspended sediments from the Detroit River (264,000pg/g), and were lower in surficial sediments downstream to the St. Lawrence River (range=440–19,300pg/g). PCNs declined at all sites from ~1980 to 1995, but in Lake Erie concentrations of PCNs increased in gulls fish from 1995 until 2005. The resurgence in PCNs in biota corresponded to the timing of remedial dredging of sediment highly contaminated with PCNs in the Detroit River, whose effects appear to manifest themselves downstream to Lake Ontario. Congener profiles of PCNs differed between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario until post-dredging, where PCN profiles of fish in both lakes became increasingly more similar. PCNs in gull eggs were mostly hepta-PCNs, whereas fish had higher concentrations of lower chlorinated PCNs. Patterns of PCNs in gulls and fish appear to be influenced by differences in not only routes of exposure and differential metabolic ability, but also resuspension of PCN contaminated sediments.

Importance of growth rate on mercury and polychlorinated biphenyl bioaccumulation in fish.

To evaluate the effect of fish growth on mercury (Hg) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) bioaccumulation, a non-steady-state toxicokinetic model, combined with a Wisconsin bioenergetics model, was developed to simulate Hg and PCB bioaccumulation in bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus). The model was validated by comparing observed with predicted Hg and PCB 180 concentrations across 5 age classes from 5 different waterbodies across North America. The non-steady-state model generated accurate predictions for Hg and PCB bioaccumulation in 3 of 5 waterbodies: Apsey Lake (ON, Canada), Sharbot Lake (ON, Canada), and Stonelick Lake (OH, USA). The poor performance of the model for the Detroit River (MI, USA/ON, Canada) and Lake Hartwell (GA/SC, USA), which are 2 well-known contaminated sites with possibly high heterogeneity in spatial contamination, was attributed to changes in feeding behavior and/or prey contamination. Model simulations indicate that growth dilution is a major component of contaminant bioaccumulation patterns in fish, especially during early life stages, and was predicted to be more important for hydrophobic PCBs than for Hg. Simulations that considered tissue-specific growth provided some improvement in model performance particularly for PCBs in fish populations that exhibited changes in their whole-body lipid content with age. Higher variation in lipid growth compared with that of lean dry protein was also observed between different bluegill populations, which partially explains the greater variation in PCB bioaccumulation slopes compared with Hg across sampling sites. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:1655-1667. © 2018 SETAC.

Nutrient concentrations and loadings in the St. Clair River–Detroit River Great Lakes Interconnecting Channel

Abstract Long-term (2001–2015) water quality monitoring data for the St. Clair River are presented with data from studies in the Detroit River in 2014 and 2015 to provide the most complete information available about nutrient concentrations and loadings in the Lake Huron–Lake Erie interconnecting corridor. Concentrations of total phosphorus (TP) in the St. Clair River have reflected declines in Lake Huron. We demonstrate that St. Clair River TP concentrations are higher than offshore Lake Huron values. The recent average (2014 and 2015) incoming TP load from the upstream Great Lakes is measured here to be 980 metric tonnes per annum (MTA), which is roughly three times greater than previous estimates. Significant TP load increases are also indicated along the St. Clair River. We treat the lower Detroit River as three channels to sample water quality as part of a two year monitoring campaign that included winter sampling and SRP in the parameter suite. We found concentrations of many parameters are higher near the shorelines, with the main Mid-River channel resembling water quality upstream measured at the mouth of the St. Clair River. Comparison with past estimates indicates both concentrations and loadings of TP have dramatically declined since 2007 in the Trenton Channel, while those in the Mid-River and in the Amherstburg Channel have remained similar or have possibly increased. The data demonstrate that the TP load exiting the mouth of the Detroit River into Lake Erie is currently in the range of 3740 (in 2014) to 2610 (2015) MTA.

Discovery of an Undocumented Lake Sturgeon Spawning Site in the Headwaters of the Niagara River

Abstract Information about spawning fish is important to stock-assessment data needs (i.e., recruitment and fecundity) and management (i.e., habitat connectivity and protection). In Lake Erie, information about Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens early-life history is available for the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair system in the western basin, but fisheries biologists know comparatively little about Lake Sturgeon in the eastern basin. Although researchers have summarized historical spawning areas, no known natural Lake Sturgeon spawning site is described in Lake Erie proper. Researchers documented a remnant population of reproductively mature Lake Sturgeon near the headwaters of the Niagara River in eastern Lake Erie in 2011. Researchers hypothesized that a spawning site was likely in the immediate vicinity of the Niagara River headwaters near Buffalo Harbor, New York; however, its exact location was unknown. We attempted to locate spawning sites near the confluence of the Niagara River using egg traps at three potential spawning sites. We identified Lake Sturgeon eggs at one of these sites using morphological and genetic techniques. Lake Sturgeon eggs collected on one sampling trip began to emerge when placed in preservative, confirming that eggs deposited at this site are fertilized and viable, and that the area supports viable embryos. This discovery fills data gaps in the early-life history for this population, which has domestic and international management implications with respect to proposed recovery targets, stock assessment models, habitat remediation efforts, and status determinations of a protected species in a geographic region designated as an Area of Concern by the International Joint Commission.

Long-term assessment of ichthyoplankton in a large North American river system reveals changes in fish community dynamics

Larval fishes are sensitive to abiotic conditions and provide a direct measure of spawning success. The St. Clair – Detroit River System, a Laurentian Great Lakes connecting channel with a history of environmental degradation, has undergone improvements in habitat and water quality since the 1970s. We compared 2006–2015 ichthyoplankton community data with those collected prior to remediation efforts (1977–1978) to identify patterns in spatial and temporal variability. Both assemblages exhibited a predictable phenology, with taxa from the subfamily Coregoninae dominant in early spring followed by families Osmeridae, Percidae, and Moronidae (May–June) and Cyprinidae and Clupeidae (June–August). While higher densities of larval fish were found in the Detroit River, greater taxa richness and Shannon diversity were observed in the St. Clair River. System wide, 14 new taxa were observed in the 2000s study period. In addition, relative densities of two nonnative species, alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), declined since the 1970s. Increased larval fish richness and decreased densities of nonnative taxa in the 2000s are consistent with improvements to environmental conditions.

Application of a Chemically Enhanced Retention Treatment Basin in Reducing CSO and Pollutant Loading into the Detroit River

Application of a Chemically Enhanced Retention Treatment Basin in Reducing CSO and Pollutant Loading into the Detroit River

A Fluid Frontier: Slavery, Resistance, and the Underground Railroad in the Detroit River Borderland edited by Karolyn Smardz Frost, and Veta Smith Tucker

A Fluid Frontier: Slavery, Resistance, and the Underground Railroad in the Detroit River Borderland edited by Karolyn Smardz Frost, and Veta Smith Tucker

Lake Sturgeon, Lake Whitefish, and Walleye Egg Deposition Patterns with Response to Fish Spawning Substrate Restoration in the St. Clair–Detroit River System

AbstractEgg deposition and use of restored spawning substrates by lithophilic fishes (e.g., Lake SturgeonAcipenser fulvescens, Lake WhitefishCoregonus clupeaformis, and WalleyeSander vitreus) were assessed throughout the St. Clair–Detroit River system from 2005 to 2016. Bayesian models were used to quantify egg abundance and presence/absence relative to site‐specific variables (e.g., depth, velocity, and artificial spawning reef presence) and temperature to evaluate fish use of restored artificial spawning reefs and assess patterns in egg deposition. Lake Whitefish and Walleye egg abundance, probability of detection, and probability of occupancy were assessed with detection‐adjusted methods; Lake Sturgeon egg abundance and probability of occurrence were assessed using delta‐lognormal methods. The models indicated that the probability of Walleye eggs occupying a site increased with water velocity and that the rate of increase decreased with depth, whereas Lake Whitefish egg occupancy was not correlated with any of the attributes considered. Egg deposition by Lake Whitefish and Walleyes was greater at sites with high water velocities and was lower over artificial spawning reefs. Lake Sturgeon eggs were collected least frequently but were more likely to be collected over artificial spawning reefs and in greater abundances than elsewhere. Detection‐adjusted egg abundances were not greater over artificial spawning reefs, indicating that these projects may not directly benefit spawning Walleyes and Lake Whitefish. However, 98% of the Lake Sturgeon eggs observed were collected over artificial spawning reefs, supporting the hypothesis that the reefs provided spawning sites for Lake Sturgeon and could mitigate historic losses of Lake Sturgeon spawning habitat.

A Fluid Frontier: Slavery, Resistance, and the Underground Railroad in the Detroit River Borderland ed. by Karolyn Smardz Frost and Veta Smith Tucker

A Fluid Frontier: Slavery, Resistance, and the Underground Railroad in the Detroit River Borderland ed. by Karolyn Smardz Frost and Veta Smith Tucker