The Dowagiac River in Cass County is no typical southern Michigan stream. With 90% of its flow coming from groundwater and with an average summer flow of 300 cubic feet per second, it is one of the largest coldwater streams south of the Muskegon River.

Blessed with such natural features, the Dowagiac has the potential to rival the more famous trout streams of northern Michigan such us the Upper Manistee and the Au Sable.

But though its waters have been stocked with trout since the late 1800s, and Michigan's first state fish hatchery was, in fact, built along its banks, the Dowagiac was not highly thought of as a trout stream.

In the 1920s, the river was channelized to facilitate drainage for agricultural purposes. This turned 20 miles of a slow, meandering stream into 15 miles of fast-moving ditch.

Still, in 1940, Department of Conservation Fisheries Research Biologist James Moffett described the river as "most of its bed is open and clean, just like a canal."

He further touted its trout possibilities by stating, "The most important and best feature of this stream is the favorable water temperature which prevails throughout its length."

As a result of Moffett's recommendations, "V" structures were constructed across the channel to create pools for better habitat. These structures are still present; however, the structures are less effective as the river has eroded around them.

The Department of Natural Resources surveyed the river again in 1987 and found a fish community low in diversity and biomass compared to other coldwater rivers.

"There is little habitat available due to a uniform bottom substrate, lack of pools and riffles, and flashy flows due to a floodplain disconnection," wrote the late Joan Duffy, then DNR district fisheries biologist.

The best option to rehabilitate river function and fish habitat, concluded Duffy and Fisheries Research Biologist Dr. Paul Seelbach, would be to reconnect the meanders.

This would be no easy task for a river in a predominately agricultural landscape that was mostly privately owned.

In 1994, Duffy and William Westrate, a Cass County farmer and naturalist, began a grassroots effort to increase the public's knowledge of the watershed and develop local support for possible watershed projects.

A year later, they formed a nonprofit group called Partnership for MEANDRS (Meeting Ecological and Agricultural Needs within the Dowagiac River System).

Members included staff from the DNR's fisheries and parks and recreation divisions, the Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Agriculture, county and local government officials, canoe liveries, farmers, riparian land owners, Trout Unlimited, St. Joseph River Valley Fly Fishers, Southwest Michigan Commission, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy and several interested citizens.

MEANDRS' first task was to obtain public input regarding impediments to the watershed. Several public meetings were held, and the group also conducted a mail survey which showed general support for meander restoration but also a concern regarding the effects of flooding.

In 1998, the group received a small grant from the DNR Natural Heritage Program to study the feasibility of restoring meanders on the river. A team of graduate students from the University of Michigan considered the biological, social and economic effects of restoration and developed a hydrologic model to determine reaches to restore with limited flooding.

The best location for a pilot meander restoration focused on Dodd County Park, which is state-owned and managed by the Cass County Road Commission.

Funding from the Clean Water Action Plan was received in 2000 to assist MEANDRS with the project at Dodd Park. There was enough money to also fund riparian set backs and promote programs to reduce non-point source pollution.

Project design and the permit from DEQ were completed the following year. Unfortunately, the contractor bids came in $250,000 over the MEANDRS' budget.

The group then sought financial help from the federal government through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The corps conducted a preliminary restoration proposal through their Ecosystem Restoration Program.

As a result, the project increased in size from a quarter mile to a full mile of restoration with a new price tag of $1 million. But with the corps agreeing to pay 75% of the cost, MEANDRS was still interested in pursuing the expanded project.

Unfortunately, the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina diverted the corps' promised funding.

To avoid the loss of the Clean Water Action grant funds, the heavy equipment crew in the DNR Fisheries Division agreed to work on the project in 2006.

With the help of volunteers from Trout Unlimited, the DNR Fisheries personnel were able to dredge a quarter-mile meander and construct four grade-control riffles using more than 700 tons of rock.

"The final step was diverting the river into the restored meander channel using large concrete blocks," said Jay Wesley, fisheries manager for the Southern Lake Michigan Unit in Plainwell. "We all agreed river diversions can't be too hard. Beavers do it all the time."

But the diversion attempt failed because of high water, a lack of material and a poor diversion design.

"So it was back to the drawing board," Wesley said. "We put the project on hold over the winter to create a new design and secure more funding for the needed materials."

This spring, DNR heavy equipment operators Doug Hall and Jim Holser were back on site to construct a 75-foot, clear span bridge and haul in another 680 tons of rock for the next diversion attempt.

"These two guys and the entire MEANDRS group should be commended for their dedication," said Wesley. "This project has tied up our equipment crew for a full year, which has delayed other projects throughout the state. I want to thank everyone for their sacrifice to see this project through."

Wesley said the Dowagiac River restoration project is scheduled to be completed later this year.

But, he quickly added, "It would not have made it this far without a lot of partners, the patience of the community and the persistence of DNR personnel and MEANDRS."