The Macatawa Watershed consists of all the land that drains to Lake Macatawa, including all or part of Laketown, Fillmore, Overisel, Holland, Park, Zeeland, Port Sheldon, Olive and Blendon Townships and the cities of Holland and Zeeland.
The Macatawa Watershed is experiencing harmful levels of phosphorus, a naturally occurring element present in fertilizer, animal waste, and soils. Excess phosphorus causes too many plants to grow in the water. Plant decay robs the water of oxygen causing fish and plants to die leading to deteriorating water quality.
- The Macatawa Watershed Project was created in 1999 with a goal to reduce the amount of phosphorus that enters Lake Macatawa by rain runoff by approximately 70% through public awareness, education, and Best Management Practices.
- The Watershed Project works with local units of government, farmers, homeowners, developers, educators, and other members of the community to increase awareness of how we impact the watershed, and what we can do to help reduce phosphorus. This information is detailed in the Macatawa Watershed Phosphorus Reduction Implementation Plan
To view the progress of Phosphorous reduction in Lake Macatawa please visit our 2008 watershed annual report.
For a map of the watershed click here.
A watershed is an area of land that drains to a common point
The Macatawa Watershed, as shown on this map, extends into Ottawa and Allegan Counties, covers approximately 110,000 acres (175 sq.mi.), and includes Lake Macatawa, the Macatawa River, and numerous small tributaries.
Please email us at the MACC to volunteer for any of the watershed projects.
History of the Macatawa Watershed Project
In 1999, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality submitted a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for phosphorus in Lake Michigan to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Lake Macatawa Phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Load was approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in April 2000. The TMDL mandates a reduction in the amount of phosphorus entering Lake Macatawa from 138,500 lbs per year (1997 level) to 55,000 lbs per year.
In October of 2000, a cooperative agreement was reached among the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council (MACC) and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and point source representatives to meet this commitment. The cities of Holland and Zeeland, and the townships of Holland, Zeeland, Fillmore, Laketown, and Park are included in this Macatawa Watershed Phosphorus Reduction Loading Agreement
This local agreement is part of an overall effort to:
- Increase the awareness of water quality issues among Allegan and Ottawa County stakeholders
- Increase the involvement of Allegan and Ottawa Country stakeholders in the Macatawa Watershed Phosphorus Reduction Implementation Plan
- The Macatawa Area Coordinating Council (MACC), agreed to oversee a comprehensive watershed project aimed at reducing the level of phosphorus in the Macatawa Watershed by 70% .