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The state reclassification of the Prairie River in Branch County from “warm” to “cool” is now official.
On Wednesday, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources signed the final proposal, which covers a 21-mile stretch of the Prairie River and more than 25,000 acres of mostly irrigated farmland, specifically for seed corn and potatoes. DNR’s original proposal would have reduced the number of additional withdrawals available from the Prairie River watershed, including for agricultural production, by setting limits based in part on the river’s temperature classification.
Previously, Michigan Farm News reported that irrigated land produces nearly 40% of the total value of all agricultural products sold in the state — worth more than $4.5 billion.
According to Justin Tomei, associate legislative counsel for Michigan Farm Bureau, the new proposal benefits agricultural producers, water resources and fish populations.
“Michigan Farm Bureau members did the hard work by letting the DNR know the importance of the Prairie River to their farms and to the region,” Tomei said. “DNR, in turn, took their time, understood the stakes and came to a data-backed decision on reclassification, which protects the ag economy in the region.”
READ NEXT: DNR ANNOUCNES PRAIRIE RIVER RECLASSIFICATION RECOMMENDATION
DNR’s final decision comes after years of work from MFB and its members who shared their concerns with DNR leadership in 2022 regarding the accuracy of data collection and analysis.
At the time, MFB argued that the proposal did not provide a complete or accurate picture of the Prairie River. DNR agreed to expand data collection and delayed the river’s temperature reclassification.
“There has been a lot of confusion around the Prairie River, which was originally designated as a warm stream without much documentation and — as the DNR data collection has shown — was not a good fit,” said Laura Campbell, senior conservation and regulatory relations specialist for MFB.
“Now working through scientifically collected data on fish populations, air temperatures and water temperatures at several locations along the river, we have a classification that matches the science.”
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