The Planning & Zoning Center (PZC) at MSU was selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to receive a $399,000 two-year grant as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) program. The PZC project targets 102 local units of government in three sub-watersheds to assist with master plan and zoning ordinance updates to protect water quality. Unlike other programs that received funding under the GLRI program, whose goal is the physical restoration of the Great Lakes and the rivers, streams and near shore areas that feed them; the goal of the PZC project is to prevent further environmental degradation of particularly the Saginaw Bay by assisting local and regional stakeholders with the adoption of measures that will ensure protection of water quality as new development and redevelopment occurs.

Map: Saginaw Bay Watershed Project Study Area

Source: Planning & Zoning Center at MSU, 2011. Click on a sub-watershed for more details.

The PZC project focuses on the Cass, Pigeon/Pinnebog and Rifle River Sub-Watersheds. Local master plans and zoning ordinances of municipalities within the three sub-watersheds will be assessed for their application of contemporary goals and strategies for watershed protection, as well as for use of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for managing surface water and runoff. The PZC project team will work with local planning commissioners, elected officials, and the public to develop watershed protection policies and practices that are effective in protecting the quality of surface water before it is discharged into the Bay. These policies will be based on Low Impact Development techniques. For more information on Low Impact Development, PZC recommends the following sites:

• U.S. EPA - Low Impact Development (LID) & Polluted Runoff
• Low Impact Development Center
• HUD - The Practice of Low Impact Development (PDF)

For those interested in exchanging ideas on how to protect water quality in the three sub-watersheds involved in this project; there is a unique social media opportunity available through the Great Place Network (GPN). Michigan State University Extension developed the GPN as a social exchange network. The site offers the opportunity to ask questions of PZC project staff, exchange ideas with other communities and stakeholders, and learn more about what you and others are doing to protect water quality in the Saginaw Bay Watershed. To join the conversation, visit the MSU GLRI Saginaw Bay Project.

Photos courtesy of Frankenmuth Hotels, George Vutetakis, flickr, Gordon Lackie and Antique Shops in Michigan.