Land in the Little Rabbit River Watershed is 73 percent agricultural, 17 percent woodland, 7 percent urban and 3 percent water and wetland. The midwestern watershed drains sections of four townships in Allegan and Kent Counties in southwest Michigan. The Little Rabbit River itself flows to the Rabbit River, a tributary of the Kalamazoo River, which empties into Lake Michigan. The 30,850 acre (48.2 square mile) watershed is a sub-watershed of the Kalamazoo River Basin.

The Little Rabbit River is designat-ed as both a public water supply and a warmwater fishery. Pressures from agriculture, urban sprawl and increasing populations in the area threaten the sustainability of these designated uses. The watershed is negatively impacted by sedimentation from streambanks, cropland, construction sites and road crossings and ditches. Excessive nutrients from agricultural production, inadequate septic systems, animal waste and residential area runoff and high flows from uncontrolled stormwater also damage the Little Rabbit River.

Cleaning Up the Little Rabbit River

In the early 1990s, stakeholders in Little Rabbit River Watershed met to discuss potential actions to mitigate the effects of nonpoint source pollution from sediment, nutrients and stormwater flows. They also sought to include water quality considerations into development and land use planning processes. In 1995, the broad partnership, involving local, state and federal stakeholders, completed a Watershed Management Plan that outlined the goals and objectives of the project. The partnership also successfully submitted the Little Rabbit River Watershed to USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program as a Conservation Priority Area.

The partnership created a resource management system involving sixteen different best management practices (BMPs) on over 17,000 acres. The partners, with help from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, constructed 14,108 feet of exclusion fencing, 7 stream crossings and 7 watering facilities for pasture management. Ten animal waste management systems, an erosion control structure and a sediment detention basin were created. The stakeholders also incorporated 4,750 acres into crop residue management and assembled 135.9 acres of filter strips. As part of the resource management plan, BMPs in critical areas, priority fields and other problem sites qualified for federal cost-sharing, which can fund up to 75 percent of the total cost of the project.

Other aspects of the management plan complemented the BMPs. Stakeholders in both Lake Macatawa and Lake Allegan initiated Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) studies for phosphorous and are developing plans to reduce phosphorous levels. Allegan County formed a Geographic Information System (GIS) Department and generated map layers and models to assist various projects. The information and education program increased public awareness of watershed and water quality concerns. Newsletters, flyers, brochures and meetings enhanced public participation in watershed restoration.

Working with Town Ordinances

The Little Rabbit River Watershed stakeholders developed mechanisms for the continuation of project goals and objectives in the years following project completion. Township ordinances were reviewed and changed to take water quality into greater consideration. For example, Dorr Township passed a conservation subdivision zoning amendment which requires 40 percent of the land under development to remain as open space, with the rest committed to cluster housing. Salem Township amended its zoning regulations to limit development on prime agricultural land. Such ordinances increase pervious surfaces and create pollutant-filtering buffer zones around natural areas. The watershed’s townships are also considering an amendment that would prohibit any new development within the floodplain delineation.

The Little Rabbit River Watershed stakeholders have used town ordinances, BMPs and educational outreach programs to focus the public’s attention on the watershed’s future. By raising public awareness, the partners hope to effectively change behavior, enhance local stewardship and perpetuate their progress beyond the life of the projects.

State and Federal Partners The Little Rabbit River Watershed projects receive financial support from the federal government and the State of Michigan; the Allegan Conservation District provides local support as a grants coordinator. State partners include the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Agriculture and Michigan State University Cooperative Extension Service. Federal support comes from the USDA Farm Services Agency, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and EPA.

Table of Contents

http://water.usgs.gov/owq/cleanwater/success/rabbit.html
Created October 13, 2000