Background
The Huron Creek watershed, located in
Houghton County, Michigan, is positioned over
what once was one of the richest deposits of
native copper in the world (Greer, 2007). In
1852, mining began in the watershed at the Isle
Royale mine, and the Huron Mine (see Figure 1).
In order to process local mine rock into copper
ingots the Huron Stamp Mill was opened in
1865. The stamp mill utilized hydropower
generated by damming Huron Creek with a
thirteen-foot earthen dam (Greer, 2007). In
addition to the damming, the creek itself was
often rerouted for industrial or agricultural
activities. Rapid deforestation occurred in the
region due to the mining companies need for raw
construction materials and space. The mining
activities caused an increase in soil erosion,
which changed the appearance and location of
the creek as a result of bed or bank deposition.
Today, the Huron Creek watershed
continues as an essential natural resource and
amenity for Houghton County. The creek flows through the commercial district of Houghton and
discharges into the Portage Canal at the city of Houghton’s waterfront residential park. The development in
the commercial district has eliminated natural riparian zones, an essential buffer for protecting the health of
the creek from hazardous run off. The commercial development has replaced forested land with
impermeable surfaces, resulting in increased stream flows during rain and snowmelt events and reduced
infiltration to underlying ground water.