Iron County Watershed Coalition
Our MIssion
Our mission is to protect and improve Iron County’s water quality by educating and involving our communities in projects that restore and preserve our watersheds for generations to come.
Water Quality
We identify pollutant sources and impacts to protect and restore our water.
Projects
We have worked on multiple projects and have plans for more.
Events
Join us for some fun scenic and education events including Float the Paint.
Volunteer
Want to help us improve our local watersheds and help the community?
What exactly is a watershed?
A watershed is the area of land where both surface water and groundwater drain to a specific waterbody. What we do on the land directly affects what happens in our lakes, streams, and rivers. It is this connection between the water and the land that makes understanding watersheds so important. Once we realize how our actions impact the water, we will be well on our way toward improving and protecting our world’s most vital natural resource.
What can we do about pollutants?
Although the Iron River is one of the finest brook trout streams in the Upper Peninsula, there still exist a number of factors that threaten to harm its condition. Like most waters throughout the United States, non-point source pollution–or pollution caused when rain, wind, or snow carry pollutants into waterbodies–is the biggest reason for decline in water quality. Pollutants such as sediment (dirt, sand, clay particles), nutrients (excess fertilizer, animal waste, etc.), or toxic chemicals from automobiles, businesses, or homes accumulate in the water and leave a lasting negative impact. In the Iron River, sediment is the primary pollutant of concern. Sediment and these other pollutants are the reason endeavors like the Iron River Watershed Project exist. Understanding what these pollutants do and where they come from is the first step in preventing their impact in the future, and improving our water today.
