For Better Lake Living

Earl Lake Riparian's

Watershed Boundary Definition

Project:  Surface Watershed Boundary Definition

Objective:   

   The objective of this project is to complete the work started in 2005 to determine the scope/boundaries of the surface water flow sources for Earl Lake.  The final result will be used in meetings with local municipalities, home owner groups and commercial interests within the watershed boundary, requesting awareness, consideration, and salt reductions.  This project is a critical part of the definition of the scope and general understanding of the lake salt intake problem, and is also an essential element of the Lake Balance analysis.

Task Description: 

   In particular this work requires the determination of underground storm drain circuitry especially in the area of Latson Road and Grand River to determine how much of the Grand River road surface water in that area is channeled into the Earl Lake watershed.  Other tasks in the scope of this activity include the compilation of data within the watershed boundary once it is finalized, which would include sub-shed definitions for each of 14 water flow outfall to the lake, road surface areas, the number of included homes, businesses and related parking lots, and the ratios of watershed to impervious surface areas, etc.

Method and tools: 

   Suspected underground storm drain connections from the MDOT system to the County Road Commission’s underground system, needs to be verified using tracer dye developed for that purpose.  Pending verification, solicitations utilizing the “freedom of information act” inquiry must be sought to obtain the scope (engineering drawings) of the MDOT system which is included in the connection.  The AccuGlobe software is used with the GIS data to overlay the boundry definitions and make measurements of impervious surface areas and other critical data assessments.

Status:  (Report Date 12/12/06)

  The Earl Lake watershed is a part of the Bogue Creek watershed, which is part of the “South Branch Shiawassee River Watershed”, and is in a chain of lakes receiving water from Lake George to the East, and discharging water to the West, to Thompson Lake.

Earl Lake (Surface) Watershed as of 8/1/06

Participants: 

   At least one volunteer is needed to continue with this critical effort.

 

Relevant Links:

Livingston County Drain Commission

East Complex 2300 E. Grand River Avenue  Howell, MI 48843
Phone 517.546.0040 | Fax 517.545.9658

http://www.co.livingston.mi.us/drain/

Digital Data Technologies Inc.  DDTI

AccuGlobe Software (To handle GIS data)

http://www.ddti.net/AccuGlobe/

AccuGlobeSolutions/tabid/217/Default.aspx

 

Livingston County

Graphical Information System (GIS)

(Arial photos, properties, roads, lakes, rivers,

wetlands, tax IDs, topography and more.)

304 E. Grand River Ave., Suite 101

Howell, MI. 48843

Phone 517-548-3230 | Fax 517-540-0214

http://www.co.livingston.mi.us/GIS/

   The overall Earl Lake watershed boundary covers almost 800 acres, mostly to the East side of the lake, extending almost to Lake Chemung.  Portions of the boundry South of Grand River Ave. extending to the Latsn Road Elemintry School, still need to be detailed.

   Fourteen (14) specific locations have been identified where water flow volumes are concentrated as discharges (storm water “Outfalls”) to the lake perimeter.  The largest being from the “Latson County Drain” (#14).  The following photo and table describes the individual Outfall Locations.  One of the objectives of this project is to resolve of the sub shed areas that correspond to each of the 14 outfalls.

Storm Water Outfall Locations