Washtenaw County’s natural resources enrich our quality of life by providing a clean and abundantsupply of groundwater and surface water, unique scenic beauty and natural landscapes that provide recreational opportunities and help to visually separate our landscapes.
Water Resources
The County’s water resources are spread across five watersheds, the Huron River, River Raisin, Grand River, Rouge River and Stony Creek Watersheds. Major County river systems include the Huron River and River Raisin, with the remaining watersheds containing numerous tributaries or creeks. There are 372 miles of river and streams and 377 lakes in the County.
The changing landscape, from undeveloped to developed, can lead to negative changes in water quality, watershed hydrology, stream flows, groundwater recharge and aquatic habitat. While we enjoy an abundance of high quality water resources, many of the County’s rivers, lakes and streams do not meet minimum quality standards due to high levels of mercury, PCBs, phosphorous, nuisance algal growths, and E. coli bacteria.
Wetlands and Woodlots
Wetland and woodland acreage in the County has been declining. From 1990 to 2000, a total of 1,272 acres of woodlands and 1,655 of wetlands have been converted to other uses.
Air Quality
While the County is currently an attainment area for air pollutants, new National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone will result in the Detroit CMSA (10 counties including Washtenaw County) being designated as nonattainment for ozone. A nonattainment area is any area that does not meet the national primary or secondary ambient air quality standard for the pollutant. In addition to nonattainment for ozone, new standards are to be released by the EPA for PM2.5 and it is expected that Washtenaw County will also be in nonattainment for this pollutant.
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