Watershed Background

The Hamilton Creek Watershed is approximately 18,500 acres in size and is located in the southeastern corner of Dickinson County, Michigan. The eastern and southern edges of the watershed extend into neighboring Menominee County, Michigan. The watershed lies within Waucedah and Norway Townships in Dickinson County and Faithorn and Meyer Townships in Menominee County. The majority of the watershed is forested (65%) with some agriculture (21.7%) and a small urban area (1.3%). The remaining area is non-forested (4.8%), wetland (5.1%), and water (2.1%)1.

Water resources include both lakes and streams. There are 11 lakes and ponds in the watershed. Lake Mary (86 acres), Lake Louise (80 acres) and Hamilton Lake (75 acres) are the three major lakes and occupy 77.4% of the lake surface area. These lakes (also known as the Hamilton Lakes) are the only lakes in the watershed with public access sites. Hamilton Creek and Fitzgerald Creek are the two main streams. They parallel each other for nearly the whole length of the watershed until Fitzgerald joins with Hamilton Creek 1 mile from the mouth. Major tributaries to Hamilton Creek are Cheney Creek and Fitzgerald Creek. Earle Brooke Creek and Turner Creek are tributaries to Fitzgerald Creek. Over 60% of the 107,500 feet of stream in the watershed is designated high quality trout stream1. Hamilton Creek enters the Sturgeon River approximately one mile before the Sturgeon River joins the Menominee River. The Menominee River and Sturgeon Rivers are impounded by the Sturgeon Dam located downstream of the mouth of the Sturgeon River. The dam is operated by the City of Norway for hydroelectric power.

The water resources are heavily used in the watershed. In addition to hydroelectric power, water is used for agricultural purposes including irrigation and watering livestock. Both residents and non-residents use the entire watershed area heavily for outdoor recreation including fishing, boating, hunting and snowmobiling. Approximately 4000 acres of the watershed are used for agricultural purposes. The majority of farms are used to support beef and dairy herds. Within the watershed several agricultural waste systems have all ready been installed; however, the remaining farms are located directly on a waterbody. Another concern associated with livestock operations is animal access to the stream and the accompanying runoff and erosion in these areas.

Approximately 75% of the population in the watershed lives on the water. As the value and desire of waterfront property continues to rise, the pressure on these high quality waters also increases. Mary and Louise Lakes are all ready highly developed and it is likely that the remaining lakefront property on Hamilton Lake will also be developed in the near future. Changes in land use include development of shorelines and stream banks, a transition from seasonal cabins to year-round homes, increased watercraft traffic and removal of native vegetation and habitats. Increased fertilizer runoff, more septic system use and loss of shoreline vegetation have also increased nutrient and sediment inputs. Phosphorus readings this spring were as high as 0.6 ppm in the lakes.

Considering the lakes have a relatively high pH (7.0-8.0) that buffers phosphorus inputs, there is concern about these increasingly high phosphorus readings. Some sampling locations on designated trout streams have also had high BOD (5.8 ppm) and low oxygen readings (3.36 @13.9O C on Cheney Creek). In recent years, the lakes and streams have experienced increases in algal blooms, aquatic plant growth, and sediment. Loss of shoreline vegetation and beneficial aquatic plants has decreased habitat for fish and wildlife. Besides loss of habitat and increases in sediment and nutrients, mercury is also a concern in the watershed. Hamilton Lake has been identified as a TMDL lake due to high mercury levels in fish samples. Walleye samples had mercury levels as high as 1.08 ppm. It is probable that the adjoining lakes Mary and Louise also have high mercury levels. Sources of mercury include atmospheric deposition, native soil inputs and possibly mining operations.

Along with modern day issues, historic mining and clear-cutting have impacted the water resource. Two open mine shafts exist in the watershed. The effects of the mining on overall water quality are currently being tested by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Samples of bedrock were taken in the watershed for a preliminary study of arsenic and heavy metals in the Western Lake Michigan Basin. Forestry has also had impacts on the streams in the watershed. Sections of Fitzgerald Creek were temporarily dammed and then released to float logs down to the Menominee River in the early 1900's. Timber harvests are still active in the watershed today although to a lesser extent. The historic and present day use of the land has added large amounts of sediment to the stream system. Due to the low gradient of the stream throughout most of the watershed, the natural cleansing of sediment is a slow process.

The Hamilton Creek Watershed is a sub-watershed of the Menominee River, an area of concern in the Lake Michigan Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP). Several of the Beneficial Use Impairments listed for the Menominee River are also found in the Hamilton Creek Watershed. These shared impairments include:

1. Restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption (mercury)
2. Degradation of fish and wildlife populations
3. Degradation of benthos (sediment and oxygen levels)
4. Loss of fish and wildlife habitat (particularly along shorelines)³.

References: ¹ Dickinson County Soil and Water Conservation District. 1992. Resource Plan for Dickinson County, Michigan, Menominee River Basin Study. FIPS Code 26043 2US Census Bureau. 1990. ² US Census Data ³ Great Lakes Water Quality Advisory Board. 2000. Lake Michigan Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP)

Organization Information

The Hamilton Creek Watershed Advisory Council was developed in 1998. It consists of watershed stakeholders including landowners, natural resource professionals, and public officials. The council was started to secure funding for an EPA Clean Water Act 319 Planning Grant. The funding was received in October of 2000 and currently the council is involved with developing a watershed management plan.

The administering agency for the proposed grant is the Dickinson Conservation District. Founded in 1948, the goal of the Dickinson Conservation District is to protect the soil and water resources of the county. The District provides technical assistance to landowners, works to reduce pollution of surface and groundwater, and promotes conservation practices to youth, private individuals, public and commercial organizations. The Dickinson Conservation District currently administers the Hamilton Creek Watershed EPA 319 planning grant.

Project Partners

For more information contact:
Ann Hruska, Project Manager, Hamilton Creek Watershed
Dickinson Conservation District
102 N. Hooper Street, Kingsford, MI 49802
E-mail: ann.hruska@mi.nacdnet.net
(906) 774-8441