Ecorse River
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The Ecorse River is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed November 7, 2011
river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
in southern
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
. Because of its small size, it is often identified as Ecorse Creek. It flows through the Downriver section of
Metro Detroit Metro Detroit is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and over 200 municipalities in the Southeast Michigan, surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the officia ...
, and is a tributary of the
Detroit River The Detroit River is an List of international river borders, international river in North America. The river, which forms part of the border between the U.S. state of Michigan and the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ont ...
. The early French settlers named it the ''Rivière aux Écorces'' ("bark river"). They named the river after the custom they observed of the local Native American tribe, who wrapped their dead in
birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...
or elm
bark Bark may refer to: Common meanings * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Arts and entertainment * ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...
, and buried them at the mouth of the river.City of Wyandotte
--> The river has two branches, which meet at Council Point Park in the city of Lincoln Park, where chief Pontiac held a council in 1763 before attacking
Fort Detroit A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...
.


Description

The river system consists of a South Branch ( when including the Sexton-Kilfoil Drain) and a North Branch, which combine and run another to the Detroit River. Elevations run from above sea level in the northwest corner of the watershed to at the Detroit River. Over a year, it has a mean flow of per second. The Ecorse River has a watershed of . The north branch drains and has tributaries designated the Trouton Drain, Freeman Drain, Black Creek, and the Douglas and Kelly Drain. The south branch has a drainage area of , and tributaries include the Grams Drain in Southgate and the Brighton, Bondie, and the Sloss and Ganong Drains in Taylor. The rest of the watershed is drained by enclosed underground drains, the largest of which is the La Blanc Drain which enters the north branch about north of the junction of the north and south branches. The La Blanc Drain drains . The north branch flows through
Romulus Romulus (, ) was the legendary founder and first king of Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus and his contemporaries. Although many of th ...
,
Dearborn Heights Dearborn Heights is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Dearborn Heights is located about west of downtown Detroit. The city shares a small border with Detroit, and is considered a bedroom c ...
, Allen Park, along a small portion of the southern border of Melvindale, Lincoln Park and then along the border of Lincoln Park and Ecorse. The south branch flows through Romulus, Taylor, Allen Park and Lincoln Park. It is joined by the Sexton and Kilfoil Drain in Taylor. After the two branches join in Lincoln Park, the river flows along the boundary between Ecorse and Wyandotte to its mouth on the
Detroit River The Detroit River is an List of international river borders, international river in North America. The river, which forms part of the border between the U.S. state of Michigan and the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ont ...
. A marina occupies both banks of the river at its mouth. The river has a very low gradient and is subject to heavy silting which worsens the seasonal flooding. Much of the watershed contains
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...
soil deep which limits ground absorption, and 85% of the land in the entire watershed is developed as residential or commercial/industrial which decreases the available land surface for absorption. Homes near the river are required to carry
flood insurance Flood insurance is the specific insurance coverage issued against property loss from flooding. To determine risk factors for specific properties, insurers will often refer to topographical maps that denote lowlands, floodplains and other areas th ...
, and damaging flooding is a common occurrence. A storm on May 21, 2004, that produced of rain resulted in the river rising over in only three hours. The Ecorse River flows into the Detroit River about midway along that river's course. The next river north of the Ecorse is the Rouge River, while the next river south is the Huron River. The watershed is heavily developed, with a population density of 3,711 people per square mile in 2000. It is also heavily industrialized with both light and heavy industry. Contamination is a problem, both from ongoing industrial and residential sources and as a legacy of the steel works along its lower length.


Flood control

It was reported in September 2008 that the Wayne County Department of Environment will begin the first phase of a $239 million project to protect the nine municipalities along the north branch of the creek from flash flooding. The first phase, to begin in early 2009, is to cost $7 to $10 million and will be funded by special assessments on the 48,000 properties in the watershed. It will consist of changes to the 80 paths that cross the creek, as well as constructing new drains and basins.


Note

Some sources designate the North and South branches as Ecorse Creek and the only short combined stream as Ecorse River. As of April 14, 2009, a high amount of '' E. coli'' bacteria from human waste was found to be in the creek water. Officials were urging citizens to stay out and away from the water.


See also

* List of rivers of Michigan


References


External links


Ecorse Creek Watershed Inter-Municipality CommitteeWater quality report from Environmental QualityEcorse Creek Flood Control
{{Authority control Detroit River Rivers of Wayne County, Michigan Rivers of Michigan