About the Alliance of Rouge Communities (ARC)

The Alliance of Rouge Communities (ARC), a 501(c)(3) organization, is a voluntary public watershed entity currently comprised of 35 municipal governments (i.e. cities, townships and villages), three counties (Wayne, Oakland and Washtenaw), Henry Ford Community College, University of Michigan-Dearborn and four cooperating partners (i.e. other organizations) as authorized by Part 312 (Watershed Alliances) of the Michigan Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (MCL 324.101 to 324.90106) as amended by Act No. 517, Public Acts of 2004.

The purpose of the ARC is to provide an institutional mechanism to encourage watershed-wide cooperation and mutual support to meet water quality permit requirements and to restore beneficial uses of the Rouge River to the area residents.

Current projects include:

  • Danvers Pond Dam Removal funded through Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)
  • Transforming the Rouge funded through GLRI
  • Wayne Road Dam Removal and Restoration funded through a Rouge Round X Grant, GLRI and NOAA
  • Restoring Community Trees in an Urban Watershed funded through GLIR and USDA Forest Service

Health of the Rouge River

Rouge River Watershed (click on a subwatershed for larger map)


$1 million grant award to the ARC from NOAA to remove the Wayne Road Dam and improve the fishery in the Lower Rouge River


Register your tree
for water quality here!

CHECK BACK IN THE SPRING OF 2012 FOR MORE RAIN BARREL/COMPOST BIN SALES!