The Wolf Creek Watershed is located in Lenawee County in lower eastern Michigan. The watershed drainage area is approximately 48,000 acres and is located in the north-central portion of the country. The watershed begins in the Irish Hills Recreational Area and ends at Lake Adrian. Lake Adrian is the primary source of potable water for the 22,000 residents if the City of Adrian. The watershed is an integral part of Franklin, Cambridge, Adrian, and Rome Townships and encompasses the Village of Onsted and the City of Adrian. This represents a total population of approximately 33,742 or 42% of Lenawee County. Wolf Creek is a tributary tot he River Raisin. The River Raisin drains into Lake Erie. Wolf Creek is located in hydrologic river basin 04100002. It is located in Congressional District 2.
There are 28,320 acres of cropland representing 300 farms. Major crops include corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, and hay. Livestock operations include 6 dairy, 1 cow-calf, and 3 beef operations. Land uses in the watershed are as follows:
The soils within the watershed are predominately Fox and Miami loams in the upper portion, with Morley and Blount in greater proportion downstream. The slopes on Wold Creek Watershed vary from moderate to steep, with an average allowable soil loss of 3 tons per acre per year. Moreover, the recent National Resources Inventory for Lenawee County indicates that 10,000 acres in the watershed have an average soil loss of two times the allowable, with an additional 2,500 acres exceeding 12 tons per acre per year.
The topography within the watershed varies from the northern portion to the south as it drains into Lake Adrian. The northern portion of the watershed is very steep, with irregular slopes located throughout the fields. Natural drainage is good to excellent, with small wet basins located throughout the area. The southern portion of the watershed is more gently rolling, with slopes becoming more regular. Natural drainage is moderate to somewhat poorly drained and topographically, lends itself to be intensively farmed. The upper portion drains through Loch Erin, which serves as a wildlife area and is in the process of being developed for home sites. Six-hundred fifty-four homes are scheduled to border the lake.
There is heavy recreational use of waters in this watershed. This includes pleasure boating, swimming, and sport fishing. In addition, the watershed is used as a source of water for some livestock enterprises and as the primary source of water used in the City of Adrian. This usage includes commercial, residential, and industrial.
All of the rivers in the watershed drain from north or northwest in a southerly direction into Wolf Creek and finally Lake Adrian. The U.S.G.S. gauging station on Tipton Hwy.. was established to measure the quantity of flow entering Lake Adrian. In 1987, the flow ranged from 2.5 million gallons per day to 6.5 million gallons per day. The average daily water use for the City of Adrian is approximately 4 million gallons per day. The major stream systems of the watershed are open channel, legal county drains. Many of the drains are in poor shape because they have filled with sediment and vegetation over the years. Erosion control structures and grass filter strips along the drainage system would prolong the life of the county drains. Drain clean-out is needed in many drains, but economic limitations currently prohibit this.
Several problems have been identified in the Wolf Creek Watershed. They include: sediment loading of Lake Adrian; phosphorous entering into Lake Adrian and Lake Erie; filling of county and private ditches and drains with sediment; and high levels of pesticides in the waters of the watershed. The major problem if the amount of sediment that is reaching Lake Adrian. According to the Department of Public Utilities in the City, more than 25 percent of the lake's volume has been displaced with sediment since 1963. Six-thousand seven-hundred tons of sediment are entering the lake annually. The 1989 data collected at the entrance of Lake Adrian indicate the average daily concentration of sediment is 173.91 mg/liter. Phosphorous entering the water courses eventually reaches both Lake Adrian and lake Erie. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in their 1982 Lake Erie Wastewater Management Study, determined that 44 percent of the non-point phosphorous sources in the watershed are due to cropping and management practices. It is estimated that some 3,500 tons of fertilizer are annually applied in the watershed. Ten-thousand five-hundred pounds of phosphorous enter the lake annually. The 1988-89 watershed data reflect the average daily concentration of phosphorous to be 0.24 mg/liter entering Lake Adrian on a daily basis. Pesticides in the streams and lakes of the watershed are another concern. It is estimated that some 42,000 pounds of agricultural pesticides are used annually in the watershed. For three years, Heidelberg College has been testing surface water coming into Lake Adrian and the municipal water the people of Adrian drink. There have been several agricultural chemicals found in the municipal water at very low levels.
The Wolf Creek Water Quality Project was one of four projects previously funded through the Michigan Clean Water Incentives Program that allowed the continued focusing on the problems, however, funds to-date have not been adequate to correct identified water quality problems in Wold Creek Watershed. The majority of the cost-share funds have been allocated through water quality contracts. No-till farming and filter strips, in conjunction with fertilizer and pesticide management, are the primary practices included in the contracts. Sod waterways, sediment and water control basins, and erosion control structures were funded through the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service office.
The Wolf Creek Watershed was identified by the state of Michigan as part of their non-point sources pollution assessment process. The Non-point Source Plan was developed and is now a part of the Michigan Water Quality Management Plan. The Plan calls for treatment of a watershed basis to reduce the impact of non-point sources pollution on Michigan's surface and groundwater. Theses watersheds are prioritized and resources available to control non-point source pollution will be targeted to these watersheds. The non-point source problems are characterized in groups of soil erosion, animal waste and fertilizers. The Wolf Creek Watershed has been identified to have excess erosion, high fertility on cropland fields and pesticides in the drinking water supply on the city of Adrian.
The methodology of implementing best management practices as outlined in the Hydrological Unit Proposal are consistent with the State Watershed Water Quality Plan. Utilizing existing agencies for technical, educational, and demonstration work, along with cost-share assistance, is the most efficient way to implement best management practices in a voluntary basis.