Michigan Chapter


Shakey Water Sentinels Info

Sulfide Mining Baseline Water Monitoring: Michigan's Upper Peninsula


Monitoring Announcement for Shakey River Sentinels, Stephenson, Menominee County:

Announcing May 30 & 31, 2008 - Shakey River Sentinels Water Monitoring Days in streams west of Stephenson, Michigan, to collect baseline water quality information.  Water Monitors are needed 8:30am to 2:30pm and Pickers from 12:30pm to 4:30pm -- or stay all day!  Equipment and training are provided, no experience is needed.  All volunteers receive a free T-shirt and snacks.  Please bring your lunch, a water bottle to drink and refill, and bug repellent.  Mosquitoes and ticks are likely, spring creeks can run high fast and cold, this activity is not intended for children.  All kids under 18 must have a parent present.  Call or email today to RSVP to Rita Jack at 517-484-2372.

Background:  In 2006 the Shakey River Sentinels began our new water monitoring project in Menominee County in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  The Shakey River flows to the Menominee River (which flows to Lake Michigan north of Green Bay), and is under threat from future mining for zinc and gold from sulfide ores, which chemically react to form sulfuric acid when exposed to air and water.  The ore body is situated close to the ground surface, and it plunges deep into the ground, too, so that a mine may need to be both an open pit and a deep underground mine, increasing risks from exposure to precipitation.

Our water monitoring involves the collection, identification and counting of benthic macroinvertebrates, various water-dwelling spineless organisms such as mayfly larvae, stonefly larvae, craneflies, scuds, and many others, all large enough to see without magnifying.  Many of them are familiar to fly anglers.  Benthic means they live and gather food from the bottom of streams.  In 2007 we implemented the project quality assurance plan in full, and grew the number of sites to 8.  Our data are available on the Michigan Clean Water Corps website.  Enter “Menominee” in the county pull-down box for the 8 sites' data.

Why do water quality monitoring when faced with a sulfide mine? Baseline water quality monitoring should be conducted early in the process because it's important for affected residents and citizens to know more about the watershed than the MDEQ, and more than the mining company and their consultants.  Here in Michigan, sometimes the MDEQ will use mining company (or other corporate) data as a surrogate for their own, so even the agency accepts company data with very few questions.  When citizens conduct their own monitoring, they're better equipped to scrutinize reports and permit applications, and they will better recognize water quality problems when they occur.  Contact Rita Jack to learn more. 
     
     

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