1. Project Title: Lake Orion Water Quality - Habitat Improvement Project
2. Contact
Mr. Ron Spitler
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Southeast Michigan District Office, 38980 Seven Mile Road, Livonia, Michigan 48152
Tel.: (313) 953-0241; FAX: (313) 953-0243
Mr. Mike Thomas
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Lake St. Clair Fisheries Research Station, 33135 South River Road, Mount Clemens, MI 48045
Tel.: (810) 465-7214; FAX: (810) 465-7504
3. Agencies Involved
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Trout Unlimited
Michigan Wildlife Habitat Foundation
4. Restoration Goal
To maintain downstream water temperatures of less than 21°C to sustain a year-round brown trout (Salmo trutta) population.
5. Project Type
Modification of flow; use of a control structure to discharge bottom-draw flows of cool water.
6. Background and Rationale
Paint Creek is one of the few trout steams in southeast Michigan. Wild and stocked brown trout provide angling opportunities in the cooler portion of Paint Creek. Each summer brown trout up to 51 cm in length are reported caught. The rationale was that mixing cold, deep lake water with warm surface dam discharges at Lake Orion would improve and expand brown trout habitat in the dam-impacted reach of Paint Creek below Lake Orion.
7. Regulatory Considerations
Inland Lakes and Streams Act (Act 346); Michigan Department of Transportation permit to drill under highway; needed to acquire easements from several property owners and the City of Lake Orion; needed regulatory approval to alter water control structure and for placement of the pipe.
8. Criteria
Improve and sustain desired brown trout water temperatures and dissolved oxygen concentrations (primary criterion was maintaining water temperatures below 21°C in Paint Creek).
9. Project Design
The project was designed to tap cold water from the lower reaches of Lake Orion and blend this water with lake surface water coming over the dam to maintain downstream water temperatures below 21°C.
10. Implementation
In 1991, a 46 cm diameter tube, 226 m long, was placed on the bottom of Lake Orion, tapping cold water from 19 m deep. A control structure discharges the bottom-draw flows through another 69 m of pipe under a five lane highway and into Paint Creek at the base of the Lake Orion dam. Summertime bottom draw temperatures (approximately 10-12°C) are blended with lake surface dam discharge temperatures to maintain a downstream temperature below 21°C. Brown trout were planted in 1992 immediately below the dam and thrived throughout the summer. Some 5-7 km of the stream were therefore improved for year round trout survival.
11. Degree of Environmental Intervention
No impacts from drilling; minimal disruption by laying tube on bottom of lake.
12. Cost
Labour, Materials, and Engineering Support $62 827
Assessment Costs (estimated) < $5 000
Total project cost approximately $67 000
13. Biological Assessment
Physical, chemical, and biological assessments were performed.
A 1992 post-project
survey concluded:
water temperatures in Upper Paint Creek were cooled, providing over 5 km of new trout stream habitat and providing more stable water temperatures;
stocked brown trout survived the summer in Upper Paint Creek as a result of cooler water temperatures;
more stable water temperatures have also helped protect the brown trout population through winter; and
cool and cold water aquatic insects (e.g., blackflies, stoneflies, caddisflies) colonized Upper Paint Creek.
A follow-up survey in 1993 concluded that routine maintenance and control was required to achieve the optimum mix of bottom-draw waters and dam discharge waters in order to maintain downstream water temperatures below 21°C and sustain the brown trout population.
14. Measures of Success
The project was very successful and met all expectations.
Success Rating: 4 - long-term monitoring underway
15. Key References
Spitler, R.J., and Thomas, M. 1992. Lake Orion - Paint Creek Bottom Draw Summary. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division, Livonia, MI, 7p.
Spitler, R.J., and Thomas, M. 1992. Lake Orion - Paint Creek Water Quality Improvement Project, Progress Report. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division, Livonia, MI, 5pp.
Correct citation for this contribution:
Spitler, R.J. 1995. Lake Orion water quality-habitat improvement project, p. 184-186. In J.R.M. Kelso and J.H. Hartig [editors]. Methods of modifying habitat to benefit the Great Lakes ecosystem. CISTI (Can. Inst. Sci. Tech. Inf.) Occas. Pap. No. 1.