Partnerships and collaboration are the cornerstone of integrated water resources management. SEMCOG collaborates with a diversity of partners, from watershed groups, to industrial agencies, to academics and universities. These partnerships help strengthen SEMCOG’s ability to improve environmental value throughout the region.
One Water
The One Water concept emphasizes a holistic understanding and shared responsibility for our water systems. The goal of the campaign is to instill a shared responsibility for the quality of our lakes, rivers, and streams as well as our drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems. SEMCOG works with partners across the region, to develop and implement the One Water Campaign. There’s only one water, and it’s ours to protect.
Watershed Partnerships
Alliance of Downriver Watersheds combines the Ecorse Creek Watershed, Combined Downriver Watershed, and the Lower Huron Subwatershed into one planning organization.
Alliance of Rouge Communities (ARC) is a voluntary public watershed entity currently comprised of members representing public agencies with water management responsibilities whose jurisdictional boundaries are totally or in part located within the Rouge River Watershed.
Friends of the Rouge is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting restoration and stewardship of the Rouge River through education and citizen involvement.
Friends of the Detroit River is a nonprofit organization seeking to enhance the environmental, educational, economic, cultural, and recreational opportunities associated with the Detroit River Watershed through citizen involvement and community action.
The River Raisin Watershed Council is a nonprofit organization with a growing constituency of individuals, businesses, municipalities, and community groups seeking to protect the natural resources of the watershed.
The Friends of the Shiawassee River is a nonprofit organization committed to improving the environment, promoting the responsible use of, and enhancing the appreciation of the Shiawassee River.
The Huron River Watershed Council is the first and oldest river protection group in Michigan. Founded in 1965 as a public, nonprofit organization, it is a coalition of Huron Valley residents, businesses, and local governments established under Michigan’s Local River Management Act (253 P.A. 1964). Its mission is to inspire attitudes, behaviors, and economies that protect, rehabilitate, and sustain the Huron River system.
The Clinton River Watershed Council is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting, enhancing, and celebrating the Clinton River, its watershed, and Lake St. Clair.
Friends of the St. Clair River Watershed is a nonprofit organization providing fun, educational experiences that engage the community in protecting water resources while providing restoration and protection of the St. Clair River and other Great Lakes Areas of Concern.
Lake St. Clair Cooperative Invasive Species Managment Area (CISMA)
The Lake St. Clair CISMA was established in 2015, and opportunities within the boundary of the Lake St. Clair Watershed in Macomb County, St. Clair County, Oakland County, and Wayne County. The CISMA is a partnership-based management structure comprised of representatives of local, regional, state and federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, property owners, and the public. The goal of the CISMA is to stop the spread of invasive species and build a resilient landscape through habitat restoration. SEMCOG led the development of the LSC CISMA along with its 33 local government members and stakeholders.
Today, the LSC CISMA is by its coordinator, with SEMCOG providing the CISMA services, such as data visualization through mapping, early detection and response, and public education and outreach. Examples of mapping include the following:
- Treat Ranking Map
- Early Detection and Response
- EDR Component Map
- Regional EDR Map
Lake St. Clair and St. Clair River Protection and Restoration Partnership
Lake St. Clair is a vital binational resource that provides an array of benefits to millions of U.S. and Canadian residents. The lake is heavily used for fishing, boating, swimming, hunting, a portable water source and movement of freight and people. It is one of the jewels of Southeast Michigan which must be protected and restored.
Efforts to protect and restore Lake St. Clair is led by 33 members partnership of local, county, regional, state and federal agencies, non-profit organizations and universities that are working to implement the priorities of the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair Comprehensive Management Plan.
As members of the partnership, SEMCOG works for alignment of priorities among the members and state and federal agencies. The partnership operates within the Lake St. Clair watershed, within the counties of Macomb, St. Clair, and Oakland.
The priorities of the Partnership are developed and placed in the Watershed Implementation Priorities Plan (WIPP). The WIPP is a strategy that includes 81 active projects with approximately $130 million in investments. The report describes ecological and environmental benefits in both the coastal and watershed areas of Lake St. Clair that can be realized through implementation of the projects.
In addition to the development of the WIPP, SEMCOG released the Lake St. Clair Restoration Story Map. This visually tells the story of ecological restoration in the Lake St. Clair Watershed, the development of the partnership, and features a map of the completed projects in the Lake St. Clair Watershed. Take a look at the map to find out more about the amazing restoration projects happening in and around Lake St. Clair.
