Restoration Project 

Wilcox Lake Restoration

As water quality in the Rouge River continues to improve, this project has built on past efforts to restore some of the damage done during the last century. Tributaries of the Rouge River have suffered from loss and impairment of aquatic habitat and increased frequency and magnitude of flood flows, primarily due to increasing urbanization within the watershed. The flat river slope and the meandering channel cannot pass the large flows associated with rain events. Upstream urbanization continues to exacerbate this problem as runoff from increased amounts of impervious surfaces culminates in flooding within the river system, bank erosion, and continued habitat degradation.

Wilcox Lake is used for fishing, picnicking, and passive recreation. The project goal was to enhance the in-lake and riparian habitat at the site through: removal of sediment and re-shaping of the lake to create open water area, shallow and deep over-wintering habitats for fish spawning, nursery, and cover habitat; restoration of aquatic benthic substrates submerged/emergent aquatic vegetation and riparian habitat; new substrates to include sandy gravel, cobbles, and boulders to provide spawning areas, attachment points, and cover for fishes, insects and fauna; placement of woody debris along the shoreline to increase habitat diversity; boulder clusters will be added offshore to add cover and feeding areas; invasive species management and planting of native shrubs and trees; and improvements to reduce direct non-point source pollution with bioswales/native plants.