Writen by Gina Pannunzio for The Egret – Volume 35 Issue 3

Each year, World Rivers Day celebrates river systems across the globe. This special day highlights the importance of rivers and aims to increase public awareness of the challenges rivers face. The hope is that this increased awareness will improve the stewardship of rivers. Globally, rivers share boundaries with numerous jurisdictions, and World Rivers Day highlights the shared goal of strengthening regional and international networks who steward these resources.

The Detroit River (DR) is one of the busiest waterways in the world and is used for a variety of economic and recreational purposes. The river and its shoreline provide important habitat for birds and fish, with the river and its watershed estimated to support over 65 different fish species. It is designated as an American Heritage River and a Canadian Heritage River, and is the only river in North America to have this dual designation.

The Detroit River has been used intensively for international shipping, industrial and agricultural development, recreation, and drinking water for decades. This has led to environmental degradation and as a result, the Detroit River was listed as an Area of Concern (AOC) under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1987. The Detroit River Remedial Action Plan (RAP) was established to develop and implement actions to clean up the river. Under the RAP, 14 Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) were created to measure progress towards the cleanup. A Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) is a condition that interferes with the ability of humans to use the aquatic environment and for the aquatic environment to support aquatic life. These 14 BUIs must be considered not impaired before the Detroit River can be removed from the list of AOCs. To date, 7 of the 14 BUIs are listed as not impaired.

The Detroit River Canadian Cleanup (DRCC) and the Friends of the Detroit River (FDR) implement separate Remedial Action Plans (RAP) for Canada and the United States. Through community-based partnership between the government (federal, provincial/state, municipal), local industries, researchers, environmental organizations, and citizens working together, the goal is to protect, restore, and enhance the Detroit River ecosystem.

To cleanup the river, both Canada and the United States have conducted sediment cleanup and remediation, habitat restoration, municipal and industrial wastewater treatment, infrastructure upgrades, non-point source pollution management in the Detroit River, as well as a suite of ongoing studies, investigations, monitoring, research, education and outreach about the Detroit River. To learn more about the Canadian projects, check out the Detroit River Cleanup Story Map: www.detroitriver.ca/storymap.

A large amount of progress has been made to make the Detroit River cleaner so that the river can continue to be enjoyed for generations to come… and more exciting work is planned! Over the coming year, we plan to implement two large-scale habitat projects (one wetland restoration and one fish habitat enhancement project) to help us further improve habitat for fish and wildlife on the river. To celebrate the progress made in cleaning up the Detroit River, join the Detroit River Canadian Cleanup and the Essex Region Conservation Authority to celebrate World Rivers Day! Come find our tent in the Healthy Community Hub at the Open Streets Festival on September 22, 2019. Say hello and share your love for the Detroit River!