Beginning with two pilot grants in 2016, MiCorps recently introduced the VSMP Stream Flow Monitoring Grant Program to provide funding and support to entities to establish volunteer-based programs in which staff and volunteers determine the total water flow (discharge) of small streams. The following organizations have received Stream Flow Monitoring grants to date.
2016 Pilot Grants
Dickinson Conservation District – Sturgeon River Watershed Stream Flow Monitoring Project
Watershed(s): Sturgeon River
Funding Amount: $7,332.76
Contact: Lindsay Peterson, 906-774-1550, wriscproject@gmail.com
Project Duration: 2016-2017 (project completed)
The Dickinson Conservation District seeks to monitor stream flow within the Sturgeon River system, a subwatershed of the Menominee River in Dickinson County (south central Upper Peninsula), to assess whether current water withdrawals may affect the base flow of the system in areas where bank stability and fisheries may be compromised by wildly fluctuating flow rates.
Benzie Conservation District – Stream Flow Monitoring of Cold Creek Inlet and Crystal Lake Outlet
Watershed(s): Crystal Lake/Betsie River
Funding Amount: $6,454
Contact: John Ransom, 231-882-4391, john@benziecd.org
Project Duration: 2016-2017 (project completed)
The Benzie Conservation District seeks to monitor both inlet and outlet stream flows of Crystal Lake within Benzie County to gain a better understanding of the hydrological balance of Crystal Lake watershed and to associate these flows with specific concerns for water quality, water distribution, and water uses for better water resource management.
