Watershed Summary 

The Grand Traverse Bay Watershed is located in northwest lower Michigan along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. The Grand Traverse Bay Watershed is approved under the CMI administrative rules and was funded under section 319. The 1,000-square mile basin is one of the fastest growing freshwater coastal watersheds in the Great Lakes. Land use and land cover in the watershed is predominantly forest (50%) and agriculture (20%). Other land uses include: open shrub/grassland, water, wetlands, and urban. Sediment and excessive nutrient loadings were reduced to enhance the cold-water fishery and aquatic life in the Grand Traverse Bay watershed. Other nonpoint source pollutants such as thermal pollution, toxins, hydrologic flow, invasive species, and pathogens were decreased to enhance the water quality, protect the aquatic habitat, and expand the number and diversity of aquatic organisms. 

MDEQ Nonpoint Source Links 

• Watershed Management Plan (4,000 KB PDF) 
• Watershed Management Plan Appendices (4,700 KB PDF) 
• Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Protection Planning Project fact sheet (260 KB PDF) 
• Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Center Database Grant fact sheet (860 KB PDF) 
• Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Project Transition Grant fact sheet (360 KB PDF) 
• Watershed Plans within the larger Grand Traverse Bay Watershed

  • Boardman River 
  • Elk River Chain of Lakes 
  • Mitchell Creek 

Watershed Websites 

• Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay 

Suggestions, corrections, or comments? Please contact us .