Habitat Restoration Database: St. Marys River Area of Concern
NOAA-GLC Regional Habitat Restoration PartnershipSt. Marys River Area of Concern Habitat Restoration Database
Restoration Outcomes
| Fish Abundance & Composition (relative abundance) | ↑ 40% |
| Fish Diversity (# of riffle spawner species) | ↑ 4 species |
| Benthos Abundance (#of macroinverts) | ↓ 20 per net; ↓ 7EPT* abundance |
| Benthos Diversity (# of taxa of macroinverts) | ↑ 40% EPT*; ↑ 4 richness |
| Water Quality (Total Suspended Solids) | ↓ 2.5 mg/L |
| Velocity/Flow (#acres with > 0.8 feet per second) | ↑ 7 acres |
* EPT refers to the EPT index which uses three orders of aquatic insects (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera)
The habitat restoration project at St. Marys River took place within the Little Rapids and replaced an existing causeway with a multi-span bridge. This project was completed in 2018.
The following metrics were collected during pre- and post-monitoring of the project site, to evaluate the impact of the project on the aquatic ecosystem:
Fish Data: Spawning of native fishes and presence of juvenile fishes were collected
Benthic Invertebrates: species abundance and diversity were collected.
Before (left) and After (right) construction of the causeway.
Funding
Approximately $9.4 million was provided to this project by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through a Regional Partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Great Lakes Commission (GLC). In 2013, the GLC was awarded approximately $30 million through this Partnership to work with partners to implement habitat restoration in Areas of Concern across the Great Lakes Basin.
For More Information
Jill Estrada
Coastal Conservation and Habitat Restoration
Project Manager, Great Lakes Commission
734‐396‐6059 • [email protected]
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