Team members followed the Clinton River from Rochester Hills to Heritage Park in Utica, determining how skilled one would have to be to navigate the river and also what debris would need to be cleared from the area before it could be opened for recreation.

Gerard Santoro, senior planner for Macomb County’s Department of Planning and Economic Development, said the group examined the river from the Yates Dam to Ryan Road, and then from Ryan Road to Heritage Park in Utica, to gauge the intensity of the river, review parking accessibility, make note of signage opportunities, locate river debris and observe severe erosion in the area. A third portion of the river, from Sterling Heights’ Dodge Park to Budd Park in Clinton Township, will be observed in the future.

The teams had a good day to hit the water, Santoro said.

“The river was very clear, in comparison to a post-rain event, when it’s a bit muddier,” he said. “The water was also a bit lower since we haven’t really had any significant rainfall since the remnants of Ike about two weeks ago.”

One of the major responsibilities of the project was to find obstacles in the river caused by fallen trees and other debris. While logjams create obstacles for river travelers, Santoro said they are also beneficial to the river’s wildlife and natural flow.

“Logjams create a natural site for fish spawning and allow for cooling of the river,” he said. “There’s a point where you want to keep them in certain places and other points where you need to remove them to allow paddlers to get down the river.”

Some logjams and other wooded debris are caused naturally as twigs and sticks make their way down the river or as wildlife, such as beavers, construct dams. The majority of logjams that need to be removed, Santoro said, are actually caused as a result of human development in the area. As development occurred along the Clinton River in Macomb and Oakland counties, rain water collected in storm drains and off of roofs, and flowed into the river, causing erosion that led to the creation of new obstacles in the river.

“Before there was any development here, the river was really quite stable and consistent. There were no flash floods and, because there was no rapid erosion, the river stayed at a constant level,” he said. “With the new development and the erosion, it causes trees to fall in because that ground is disappearing. So we need to see the results of that and what needs to be removed.”

Also of concern was rating the river in terms of difficulty. The portion of the river observed recently, between Rochester and Utica, is located on a steeper grade than the rest of the river, which makes the water faster and more difficult to navigate for novice paddlers. Santoro said he believes that portion of the river will be best for intermediate and advanced paddlers, while the portions flowing from Dodge Park to Lake St. Clair will be more suitable for beginners and families.

“Between Rochester and Utica, we actually have one of the greatest changes in grade in the entire state. But it’s so beautiful; that portion of the river, where so much of it is still private land, much of it looks like northern Michigan,” Santoro said. “We have a real diamond in the rough here.”

Ideally, Santoro said, the river would be open for public canoeing in 2009. Padding programs have already started in Clinton Township and he hopes to see similar programs start in other areas along the river in the near future. But more work must be done before the river can begin beckoning kayakers and canoeists.

“We hope we can get a commitment to a large, woody debris management program and cooperation from the Army Corps of Engineers,” Santoro said. “We know there’s a large interest in paddling and kayaking the river, and now we just have to go about making it ready for the public.”