The Rouge River Watershed is home to more than one million people and encompasses 466 square miles, running through the most
densely populated
and urbanized land area in southeast Michigan. The Rouge River is a tributary to the Detroit River and its four branches total approximately 126 miles of waterways and include over 400 lakes, impoundments and ponds. More than 50 miles of the river flows through
public parklands, making the
Rouge River one of the most publicly accessible rivers in the country.
The purpose of the Alliance of Rouge Communities (ARC) is to encourage watershed-wide cooperation and support
to restore beneficial uses of the Rouge River to the area residents while meeting water quality permit requirements!
Find out what a watershed is, if you live in one and what you can do to protect it.
Cost-saving information for business-owners to assure you are not polluting the Rouge River.
Learn how the RRAC activities are helping the Rouge River Watershed! Check out the interactive
Rouge River Project Dashboard
The ARC and the Rouge River Advisory Council (RRAC), along with U. S. Environmental Projtection Agency (USEPA), Michigan Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), Michigan Deparment of Natural Resources (MDNR), and our local members developed a formal list of specific projects that needed to be completed in the watershed in order to remove the Fish and Wildlife Habitat Beneficial Use Impairment (BUIs) to begin moving towards delisting the Rouge River as an Area of Concern (AOC). This work resulted in the development of a Rouge AOC habitat list that was approved by EGLE and EPA in 2018. The ARC, with RRAC support, has been actively applying for funding to implement many of the projects, with several of them complete and highlighted below.
Seeley Creek Habitat Restoration
View project info (Funded by a USEPA GLRI Grant GL-00E02700-1)
Nankin Lake Habitat Restoration
View project info (Funded by a USEPA GLRI Grant GL-00E02040-1)
Rouge River AOC Habitat Restoration Design at Merriman Hollow & Wallaceville Parks
(Funded by a USEPA GLRI Grant GL-00E003452) Merriman Hollow Park project info Wallaceville Park project info
Rouge AOC Habitat Restoration Design & Implementation Tamarack Creek/Johnson Creek Fish Hatchery
View project info for Tamarack Creek Restoration (Funded by a USEPA GLRI Grant GL-00E02344-2 & GL-00E02478) View project info for Johnson Creek Fish Hatchery (Funded by a USEPA GLRI Grant GL-00E02344-2 & GL-00E02478)
Rouge River AOC PAC Support
View project info (Funded by a USEPA GLRI/Michigan EGLE GL-00E02481, Project #2020-2505)
Henry Ford Estate Fishway
View project info (Funded by a USEPA GLRI Grant GL-00E02040-1)
Rouge River AOC Habitat Colonial & Venoy Restoration
(Funded by a USEPA GLRI Grant GL-00E02830-0) View Colonial Park project info View Venoy Dorsey Park project info
Rouge River AOC Habitat Restoration Design Implementation Wayne County Parkland
View Lola Valley Park project info View Bell Creek project info View Riverview Park project info View Sherwood Park project info View Lower Rouge project info
(Funded by a USEPA GLRI Grant GL-00E02432-0 & GL-00E02896-0)
Rouge River AOC Habitat Restoration at LTU Wetland
View LTU project info (Funded by a USEPA GLRI Grant GL-00E02976-0 & GL-00E03268-0)
Rouge River AOC Habitat Restoration Design Wilcox/Phoenix/Inkster and Implementation Wilcox/Phoenix
(Funded by a USEPA GLRI Grant GL-00E02997-0 & GL-00E03267-0) Wilcox Lake project info Phoenix Lake project info Inkster Park project info (Funded by USEPA GLRI Grant GL-00E02997-0)
Restoring Trees & Green Infrastructure in the Rouge River
View project info (Funded by a GLRI-USDA Forest Service Grant 21-DG-11094200-07)
Rouge River Concrete Channel Restoration Design
(Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law through the framework of the GLRI) Concrete Channel project webpage Public Meeting: September 4, 2024, Dearborn Baptist Church, 16350 Rotunda Dr., Dearborn
Review and comment on your community's stormwater management plan. Find links to each community participating in the ARC Collaborative Plans.
Imporant information and videos for homeowners that have a septic system on their property. Find out how to maintain your system and how to tell if it is failing.
Learn about preferred cleaning materials and procedures for car, pavement and power washing. Find out how to apply and dispose of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.
Get tips to keep your yard healthy, create habitat for pollinators and even save some money!
What is green infrastructure? Incorporate it into your yard and learn how your yard or community can benefit from it.
Report illegal dumping and learn how you can dispose of household hazardous waste properly.
Learn More about illegal dumping »The Alliance of Rouge Communities (ARC), a 501(c)(3) organization, is a voluntary public watershed entity currently comprised of municipal governments (i.e. cities, townships and villages), counties, the Wayne County Airport Authority, educational institutions and 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.
Primary Members: Auburn Hills, Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Twp., Canton Twp., Commerce Twp., Dearborn Heights, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Village of Franklin, Garden City, Inkster, Lathrup Village, Livonia, Melvindale, Northville, Northville Twp., Novi, Oakland County, Oak Park, Orchard Lake, Plymouth, Plymouth Twp., Redford Twp., Rochester Hills, Romulus, Southfield, Troy, Van Buren Twp., Walled Lake, Washtenaw County, Wayne, Wayne County, Wayne County Airport Authority, Westland, West Bloomfield Twp., Wixom
Associate Members: Henry Ford College, Schoolcraft College, University of Michigan-Dearborn
Cooperating Partners: Cranbrook Institute of Science, Friends of the Rouge, Great Lakes Water Authority, Rouge River Advisory Council, SEMCOG, Southeastern Oakland County Water Authority, The Henry Ford