Black River Watershed

The larger watershed is divided into 11 sub watersheds, shown in the map below. More details are provided for each sub watershed by clicking

Watershed Overview

530 miles of rivers, streams and drains
2 counties, 13 townships, 3 cities, 2 villages
287 square miles, 183,490 acres
43.8% lies in Allegan County; 56.2% lies in Van Buren County
43 named lakes; 35 lakes 10 acres or larger; over 500 small, unnamed lakes and ponds
Lakes in the watershed are generally either mesotrophic (having moderate nutrient levels) or eutrophic (having excessive nutrients)
65%-85% of the watershed's wetlands have been converted to other uses
Sandy soils in the watershed make groundwater vulnerable to pollution
17 register dams - 11 privately owned, 4 local government owned, 2 state owned
Fun Fact: To cover this watershed with just one inch of rain requires 4,987,646,720 gallons of water.

Other Resources:

Black River Tour 2011 (SWMLC Preserve)

E.coli Monitoring Study - Implementation Plan

Watershed Municipalities