Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB) Program

Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy  

Grant Amount: $313,357 

Timeline: 10/1/23 - 9/30/27 

MDARD and EGLE provided funding to establish, maintain, and operate a new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) water quality gaging station in the Saline River Watershed, a priority subwatershed of the River Raisin Watershed. The Saline River at Austin Road gage (USGS gage # 04176356) became operational in May 2024. A monthly sample is collected at a baseflow condition and then approximately 10-12 additional hydrologic (i.e., wet weather) events are targeted for sampling within the water year. During a hydrologic event, the stream is sampled on the rising limb, the peak, and the falling limb of the storm hydrograph..  This gaging station will help discern the contribution of nutrient and sediment loading from the Saline River to the River Raisin during high flow events.  

Michigan State University  

Grant Amount: $1,157,858 

Timeline: 12/21/22 - 12/31/25  

Michigan State University’s (MSU) edge-of-field research has shown that newly applied phosphorus contributes up to 17 percent of dissolved reactive phosphorus in subsurface drainage at the two study sites. This means that old-phosphorus that was applied in previous years and is now stored in the soil dominates phosphorus loss in subsurface drainage at the study sites, accounting for 83–100 percent of subsurface losses. This long-standing source of phosphorus likely contributes to algal blooms in Lake Erie even as current fertilizer use has declined. Reducing this legacy phosphorus through soil test phosphorus (STP) drawdown (i.e., removing phosphorus via crop uptake without additional fertilizer) can help, but it is a slow process. To address this challenge, the MSU recommends a dual strategy for subsurface legacy phosphorus management: 

1. Long-term STP drawdown through careful nutrient management to prevent further accumulation. 
2. Short-term water management practices like controlled drainage and drainage water recycling can reduce phosphorus movement off farms and improve crop resilience under certain conditions, though this is not a general solution to reducing nutrient loss. 
   
   While nutrient management (e.g., the “4R” approach—right source, rate, time, and place) can reduce new phosphorus loss via surface runoff and subsurface flow, a combined approach targeting both legacy and new phosphorus is essential to improve water quality and sustain agriculture in the region. MSU will report final results in 2026.  
   
   Project Link:  MSUE Drainage website 

Michigan State University - Institute of Water Research  

Grant Amount: $305,638  

Timeline: 4/1/2023 - 9/30/2026 

The State of Michigan has partnered with Michigan State University’s Institute of Water Research (MSU-IWR) to develop a Nutrient Tracking Dashboard to support our efforts to reduce phosphorus loading in the WLEB. Since the conceptual interface was first shared at the 2023 State of Lake Erie Conference, MSU-IWR has developed watershed models for the Michigan WLEB that are the backbone of dashboard that quantifies phosphorus load reductions. Phosphorus reduction data from various programs have been added to the Dashboard and will be available for testing and feedback from state agencies in early 2026. MDARD and MSU-IWR plan to rollout a the fully functional dashboard in summer 2026.   

University of Michigan  

Grant Amount: $4,013,324 

Timeline: 7/1/24 - 4/30/2029 

An interdisciplinary project team, led by University of Michigan (U-M), is collaborating with producers in the WLEB to advance knowledge of soil health and water quality while supporting increased adoption of regenerative practices on farms.  This on-farm research project’s central goal is to identify regionally relevant soil health indicators, particularly those related to soil biology and microbiome activity, and to link them to farm management practices and edge-of-field water quality outcomes. This research will also inform more effective, science-based conservation programs tailored to the WLEB’s agricultural landscape. 

Project Link: Healthy Soils, Healthy Waters | Soil and Agroecosystems Lab 

Michigan State University Extension  

Grant Amount: $55,692 

Timeline: 6/1/24 – 12/31/25 

Michigan State University Extension (MSUE), with support from MDARD, is leading a project to evaluate interseeding cover crops into standing cash crops, allowing for earlier seed establishment. The project includes on-farm demonstrations in three WLEB watersheds using aerial seeding methods — planes, highboy equipment, and UAVs — with various cover crop species and seeding rates. Data are being collected on establishment success, winter survival, nutrient uptake, and cash crop performance. Results will be shared through articles, bulletins, and 360° video content. MSUE will also develop practical recommendations for interseeding methods. This research and outreach effort aims to increase producer confidence and adoption of cover crops, ultimately improving water quality in the WLEB. 

Agrograph, Inc. 

Grant Amount: $100,000 

Timeline: 2/1/25 – 4/30/25 

MDARD and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) partnered with Agrograph Inc. and Planet Labs PBC to use their AgrosⓇ Platform to monitor and identify crop parcels within five priority subwatersheds in the WLEB. The project leveraged PlanetScope satellite imagery to generate key data variables—such as crop type history (2016–2024) and residue cover after fall tillage and spring planting—which will be correlated with USGS gage station data and field-collected agricultural inventories from the five priority subwatersheds. The project also focused on improving the accuracy of remote sensing models by incorporating the ground-truth data collected by WLEB Conservation Technicians and by adjusting for regional differences in soil and crop types. The goal of this assessment was to enhance the State of Michigan’s ability to assess the impact of farming practices over time, with a particular focus on providing a clearer picture of how crop residue is managed across the WLEB. The EGLE Nonpoint Source Program is synthesizing the data collected by Agrograph and will release a summary report in early 2026.  

University of Michigan School of Environment and Sustainability  

Grant Amount: $25,000 

Timeline: 6/1/23 - 4/31/24 

In early 2023, MDARD funded a University of Michigan (U-M) School of Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) Master’s Project Team to develop a Watershed Conservation Plan for the Stony Creek subwatershed in Lenawee County. The project team found that socio-cultural factors heavily influence producer decisions, that conservation programs must be simple and specific, and that financial incentives alone are not enough to achieve the state’s nutrient reduction goals. Based on these findings, the team recommended strengthening the Lenawee Conservation District’s role, simplifying program access, enhancing education, fostering collaboration, and engaging younger producers. The final plan, completed in early 2024, includes resources for producers and community members. 

Project Link: U-M SEAS capstone project  

Alliance for the Great Lakes  

Grant Amount: $53,600 

Timeline: 11/8/23 - 3/31/24 

The Alliance for the Great Lakes and LimnoTech used the methodology developed in The Cost to Meet Water Quality Goals in the Western Lake Erie Basin (2023) to evaluate the effectiveness and cost of conservation practices in the five WLEB priority subwatersheds. Results in the The Magnitude and Cost of Best Management Practices Implementation (2024) showed that implementing two or three in-field conservation practices across most cropland, along with multiple structural best management practices, could reduce total phosphorus loads by 45–49 percent at an estimated annual cost of between $8.6 and $9.3 million across the five subwatersheds. 

 Michigan State University - Institute of Water Research  

Grant amount: $11,983,107 

Timeline: 6/1/25 - 5/31/2032  

MDARD partnered with Michigan State University’s Institute of Water Research (MSU-IWR), the MSU Center for Regenerative Agriculture, and the Alliance for the Great Lakes (AGL) to implement a performance-based conservation program in the WLEB. This program will enroll producers in conservation practices. Unlike traditional cost-share programs, however, this program will compensate producers based on reductions in phosphorus and other water quality improvements.  The program’s key innovation is the integration of a Soil and Water Assessment Tool (i.e., SWAT model) and Yield Stability modeling to create a decision-support tool that helps identify low-yielding areas where implementing conservation practices makes the most sense. This tool will also support broader conversations with producers and promote ecosystem services like increased groundwater recharge, expanded pollinator habitat, and improved soil health. This performance-based program aims to create a scalable, sustainable framework for improving water quality and conservation outcomes across the WLEB. 

Alliance for the Great Lakes   

Grant Amount: $4,861,534 

Timeline: 3/1/24 - 9/30/28 

MDARD partnered with Alliance for the Great Lakes (AGL) to expand the water quality monitoring network in the WLEB in and around five priority subwatersheds: the S.S. LaPointe Drain, Headwaters Saline River, Stony Creek – South Branch River Raisin, Nile Ditch, and Lime Creek. The expanded network’s full-season operation began in 2025 and includes 50 new monitoring sites with real-time sensors and automated samplers that measure total phosphorus, soluble reactive phosphorus, nitrogen, turbidity, and total suspended solids. The system also includes weather stations, water level sensors, and online phosphorus analyzers. These tools provide near-instantaneous data that can guide more targeted and effective land and water management strategies in the five priority subwatersheds.