Research Study on Jordan River Looks to Find Sources of Sand

An update presentation on a research study to find sources of sand in the Jordan River was held by a research team from Michigan State University at the Friends of the Jordan River Watershed Center on October 28, 2010..

Dr. Anthony Kendall, Dr. David Hyndman from MSU show Terry Ryan and John Richter the Acoustic Doppler Profiler that has been used to gather data on stream flow, velocity and discharge. (click image to enlarge)

View videos from this presentation

• Jordan River Sedimentation Study Report  Parts 1 and 2 (approximately one hour each)
• Where does the water come from, and how can I help? Short clips taken from the above presentation

Where is all the sand coming from? That is the question the Friends of the Jordan River Watershed has asked MSU Department of Geological Sciences to answer. The MSU research team led by Dr. David Hyndman gave an update presentation, Thursday, October 28, 2010 at the Friends of the Jordan River’s Watershed Center in East Jordan on what they are doing to learn more about how sand is moving in the Jordan River and what may have caused the large amounts of sand now found throughout the River.

Although sand is common in northern Michigan left by the glaciers over 10,000 years ago, too much sand in rivers is harmful to fish. The Jordan River is a blue ribbon trout stream and the Friends of the Jordan members, as well as anglers have been concerned about sand in the river for decades.

Using sophisticated tools and a computer model, the MSU research team is gathering interesting data about the Jordan River. The Jordan River is almost entirely fed by groundwater and springs. Because of this the River is extremely stable, meaning the flows are steady with little to no flooding and that the water level quickly returns to a typical flow even after a large rain event.

Preliminary results of data collection and modeling indicate that the Jordan River may be cutting a deeper channel in response to lower lake level of Lake Charlevoix, which is connected to the Great Lakes. The computer model named Integrated Land Use Hydrology Model, also shows that sand movement in the Jordan River may be connected to the removal of the forests and forest fires at the turn of the century. Although over 100 years ago, it takes an ecosystem like the Jordan River a long time to heal from such large scale events.

Over the next year, the MSU research team will be gathering additional data to finalize the study. One of the elements that they would like to add is to gather more historical and anecdotal knowledge of the Jordan River and its tributaries. If you have photos or can provide details on what the Jordan River was like previous to 1970, the research team would like to hear from you.

Friends of the Jordan River Watershed Inc.
PO Box 412
East Jordan, MI 49727

Phone or Fax: 231 536-9947
E-mail: foj@friendsofthejordan.org

Additional information can be found on our following pages:
Jordan River Comprehensive Sedimentation Study
Hydrology and Sediment Transport of the Jordan River