Ford Lake | |
---|---|
![]() Looking south from North Bay Park | |
Location | Washtenaw County, Michigan |
Coordinates | 42°13′02″N83°35′06″W / 42.21722°N 83.58500°W |
Type | Fresh water Reservoir |
River sources | Huron River |
Basin countries | United States |
First flooded | 1931 [1] |
Surface area | 975 acres (395 ha) [2] |
Max. depth | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
Surface elevation | 682 ft (208 m) [3] |
Islands | Big Island Park and several unnamed islands [4] |
Settlements | Ypsilanti Ypsilanti Township |
Ford Lake is a fresh water artificial reservoir located in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The lake was created from the construction of Ford Lake Dam (originally known as Rawsonville Dam) along the Huron River in the early 1930s. [1] The lake is named after business magnate Henry Ford.
The lake covers an area of 975 acres (395 ha) and has a maximum depth of 30 feet (9.1 m) near the eastern end. [2] [5] The lake continues the flow of the Huron River, beginning approximately at the Interstate 94 bridge crossing in the city of Ypsilanti and ends at Ford Lake Dam along Bridge Road in Ypsilanti Township. A short distance after the Ford Lake Dam, the Huron River continues into Belleville Lake, which itself is a reservoir created by the French Landing Dam and Powerhouse. [6]
Ford Lake is a recreational site for boating, personal watercraft, canoeing/kayaking, and fishing. Portions of the Border-to-Border Trail run along Ford Lake and are popular among bicyclists. [7] There are four public lakeshore parks within Ypsilanti Township: Ford Lake Park, Huron River Park, Loonfeather Point Park, and North Bay Park. The only boat launch for motorized vessels on the lake is within Ford Lake Park. [8]
Common fish within Ford Lake include bullhead catfish, channel catfish, common carp, crappies, northern pike, smallmouth bass, suckers, sunfish, bluegill, walleye, white bass, and yellow perch. [2] [9] The lake was once used by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to stock various fish, including tiger muskellunge, which are no longer present in Ford Lake. [10] The largest fish caught in Ford Lake is a common carp recorded in the state's Master Angler Entries at 36.25 inches (97.08 cm) long. [11]
Ford Lake often experiences algal blooms late in the summer, which must be frequently tested to determine their level of toxicity. [12] The Washtenaw County Health Department and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services monitors the water quality and issues advisories when the bacteria levels in the water may pose a health threat. Most algal blooms are green algae and pose no threat, but accumulating cyanobacteria and perfluorooctanesulfonatecan (PFOS) can result in harmful algal blooms that can have negative health affects. When this bacteria is present, prolonged contact with the water is not advised, although occasional contact with PFOS is not considered a health concern. Regardless of water quality, swimming is not a common recreational activity on the lake. [13] [14]
When algae levels reach a high enough level to pose a threat, a "Do Not Eat" fish advisory is issued and posted at all access points along Ford Lake. Boating and fishing are still allowed, but fishermen are advised to catch and release only. [15]
Washtenaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population was 372,258. The county seat and largest city is Ann Arbor. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county in 1826. Washtenaw County comprises the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is home to the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College, and Concordia University Ann Arbor.
Ann Arbor Charter Township is a charter township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,673 at the 2020 census. The township borders the city of Ann Arbor and contains numerous exclaves, but the two are administered autonomously.
Superior Charter Township is a charter township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 13,058 at the 2010 census.
Ypsilanti Charter Township is a charter township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 53,362 at the 2010 census. The city of Ypsilanti is mostly surrounded by the township, but the two are administered autonomously.
The Huron River is a 130-mile-long (210 km) river in southeastern Michigan, rising out of the Huron Swamp in Springfield Township in northern Oakland County and flowing into Lake Erie, as it forms the boundary between present-day Wayne and Monroe counties. Thirteen parks, game areas, and recreation areas are associated with the river, which passes through the cities of Dexter, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Belleville, Flat Rock and Rockwood that were developed along its banks.
The River Raisin is a river in southeastern Michigan, United States, that flows through glacial sediments into Lake Erie. The area today is an agricultural and industrial center of Michigan. The river flows for almost 139 miles (224 km), draining an area of 1,072 square miles (2,780 km2) in the Michigan counties of Lenawee, Washtenaw, Jackson, Hillsdale, and Monroe County, where its mouth at Lake Erie is located. French settlers named it as La Rivière aux Raisins because of the wild grapes growing along its banks, the French word for grape being raisin. The French term for "raisin" is raisin sec.
The River Rouge is a 127-mile river in the Metro Detroit area of southeastern Michigan. It flows into the Detroit River at Zug Island, which is the boundary between the cities of River Rouge and Detroit.
M-17 is a 6.390-mile-long (10.284 km) state trunkline highway in the U.S. state of Michigan, connecting the cities of Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor in Washtenaw County. It was once part of a highway that spanned the southern Lower Peninsula of Michigan before the creation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926. The designation once extended into downtown Detroit, but the eastern terminus was progressively scaled back in the late 1960s to the current location in Ypsilanti. The changes made to the highways in Washtenaw County spawned Business M-17, a business loop for 11 years between 1945 and 1956.
Southeast Michigan, also called southeastern Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan that is home to a majority of the state's businesses and industries as well as slightly over half of the state's population, most of whom are concentrated in Metro Detroit.
Belleville Lake is a fresh water artificial reservoir located mostly within Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A very small portion extends west into Washtenaw County. The lake was created from the construction of the French Landing Dam and Powerhouse along the Huron River in 1925.
Pointe Mouillee State Game Area (; pointmoo-yay or is a state game area in the U.S. state of Michigan. It encompasses 7,483 acres of hunting, recreational, and protected wildlife and wetland areas at the mouth of the Huron River at Lake Erie, as well as smaller outlying areas within the Detroit River. Pointe Mouillee State Game Area was established in 1945 and is administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The Border-to-Border (B2B) Trail is a partially constructed non-motorized trail in Washtenaw County, Michigan. The trail is planned to cover approximately 35 miles (56 km) from Livingston County to Wayne County along the Huron River.
Paint Creek is a stream mostly located within Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The stream flows south before entering as a tributary to Stony Creek along the county line with Monroe County.
The Peninsular Paper Dam is a decommissioned hydroelectric concrete gravity dam and former paper mill and power station crossing the Huron River. It is located in the city of Ypsilanti in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The dam was constructed in 1914, and the resulting reservoir is an unnamed 177-acre pond along the river.
The Ford Lake Dam is an earthen, multi-arch hydroelectric gravity dam and powerhouse crossing the Huron River in Ypsilanti Charter Township in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The dam was constructed in 1931–1932 and created the Ford Lake reservoir at 975 acres (395 ha).
The Flat Rock Dam is a decommissioned hydroelectric gravity dam crossing the Huron River. It is located in the city of Flat Rock in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The dam was built by the Ford Motor Company in 1924 for hydroelectricity for the nearby Ford Motor Company Lamp Factory, which remained in operation until 1950.
The Superior Dam is a hydroelectric barrage dam crossing the Huron River. It is located in Superior Township in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It was completed in 1920 and currently provides hydroelectricity to the nearby city of Ann Arbor, which owns and maintains the dam and power station.
The Geddes Dam is a decommissioned hydroelectric barrage dam crossing the Huron River. It is located in Ann Arbor Township in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It was built by the Detroit Edison Company in 1919 for hydroelectricity before being decommissioned in 1959. The dam is currently owned by the nearby city of Ann Arbor. The surrounding area is used for recreational purposes, including Gallup Park, which is Ann Arbor's most popular recreational area.
The Argo Dam is a decommissioned hydroelectric barrage dam crossing the Huron River. It is located in the city of Ann Arbor in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It was built by the Detroit Edison Company in 1920 for hydroelectricity before being decommissioned in 1959 and sold to the city of Ann Arbor in 1963. The surrounding area is used for recreational purposes, including Argo Nature Area and Bandemer Park.
The Barton Dam is a hydroelectric barrage dam crossing the Huron River. It is located in the city of Ann Arbor in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It began operating in 1912 and currently provides hydroelectricity to city of Ann Arbor, which owns and maintains the dam and power station.