Michigan Map Rouge River National Wet Weather Demonstration Project
The Rouge River Project
Bringing the river back to life!
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Wetlands ProgramBrief SummaryOverview Description of the Wetlands ProgramWayne County Wetland Mitigation Bank and Wetland Preservation FundNational Association of Counties Award to Wayne County for Wetland Preservation FundLocating and Assessing WetlandsWhy Wetlands Are ImportantRouge Project Presentations on the Wetland ProgramWetland Program Technical ReportsMDEQ Wetlands Assessment Program
Wayne County Preliminary Wetland Inventory Map
Wetlands Program

An important component of the Rouge Project is identification, protection and restoration of wetland habitat in the Rouge River watershed. Although the watershed is characterized as an urban area, there are still important remnant wetlands in the riparian corridor and the less developed portions of the watershed.

The Rouge Project performed a review of existing information on site specific wetland ecology, wetland ecosystem processes, and the use of specific wetland sites for the control of storm water. The wetland program utilizes existing, enhanced, and created wetlands to demonstrate the value and effectiveness of wetlands in retaining and treating storm water runoff. This evaluation identifies pollutants removed by the demonstration wetlands, the efficiency of the removal processes and the effects of sediments on this removal efficiency. The contributing storm sewer area for each study area has been defined and modeled so that the effect of a given wetland area on water quality and quantity can be determined.

The Wetland Preservation Fund (WPF) was established by Wayne County to restore, create, and protect wetlands in the watershed at locations that provide benefits to the public through improved environmental quality. The WPF has been organized to allow the fund to be renewed from a variety of funding sources. Wetlands that are created in the watershed may be sold to qualified buyers for use as mitigation credits Funding to maintain the WPF may also be derived through acquiring grants, gifts, and other sources of funding. All funds acquired on behalf of the WPF are restricted and can be used only for the planning, design, and construction of wetlands or for the purchase of land required for protecting existing wetland resources.

The wetland program is an integral part of the Rouge River restoration.

Last Updated: 8/27/01

Please address all comments and suggestions about the contents of this Web page to rougeweb@co.wayne.mi.us.

The Rouge River National Wet Weather Demonstration Project is funded, in part, by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Grants #XP995743-01, -02, -03, -04, -05, -06, -07 and C-264000-01.