The MSU Hydrogeology Lab has been conducting research in the Jordan River Watershed since 2006. The objective has been to understand the causes and possible solutions to sand accumulation on what had been considered previously to be a primarily gravel-bed stream. The sand is believed to be negatively impacting the fishery of the Jordan River, possibly reducing populations of brown and brook trout in one of Lower Michigan’s premier cold water streams. The work has been funded by the Friends of the Jordan River.
During the course of our research, the Lab has installed a network of stream gauging stations to continuously monitor stream flow and temperature, conducted extensive channel surveys for sediment and flow modeling, surveyed the stream channel with a variety of sophisticated instruments including an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), survey-grade Global Positioning System (GPS), and both floating and land-based Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR).
Research Products
Presentations to FoJ and Regional Stakeholders
Martin et al. 2010
Jasinski et al. 2012
Photo Albums
Below are a selection from several thousand photographs of the Jordan River and its watershed taken by MSU researchers and students during the course of this project. Stream bank and sediment photos were taken during three float trips down the Jordan River during October 2009, November 2010, and July 2011. Photos of beaver activity are from 2010 and 2011. Others are indicated in their albums below.
The maps below show photos at their proper locations using GPS coordinates. For best viewing, click the magnifying glass and view full-screen. Also, there are in some cases many photos at the same location, to view all of them, click the “Earth” button. This may require that you install the Google Earth plug-in (a link will be provided).
Stream Bank Photos
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Stream Sediment Photos
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