Interlobate Dead Ice Moraines

Twenty-one waterways near Interlobate Dead Ice Moraines are listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act with TMDLs in place as of the 2026 assessment cycle. The widespread impairment across multiple stream segments and one impounded water body reflects the regulatory status of these connected systems. Each impaired listing indicates the water fails to support at least one designated use.

The Pontiac WWTP station, 11 km from the Interlobate Dead Ice Moraines, recorded mean daily highs 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit above normal and mean daily lows 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit above normal over the past 30 days, with month-to-date precipitation 1 inch above normal through September 20.

Autumn Mottled Sedges caddisflies were observed on September 19, 2026 in Washington, Michigan within the Clinton River watershed. Caddisfly larvae are pollution-sensitive taxa that thrive only in clean water with good dissolved oxygen, which was recorded at 8.4 mg/L at Clinton River stations on September 20.

Moderate drought (D1) conditions expanded to cover 40.70% of Oakland County as of the week of September 15-21, escalating from only 0.79% in early August. This represents a rapid shift in water stress across the region that may affect both amphibian breeding habitat and nectar and milkweed availability for migrating monarchs.

Common buckthorn, an introduced shrub, was recorded at eight locations from 2026-08-23 to 2026-09-16 across the region including Sterling Heights, Macomb Township, and Ferndale. This invasive species remains widespread in disturbed and natural areas near the Interlobate Dead Ice Moraines, competing with native plants in the 1,762 acres of wetlands mapped here.

Yellow nodding ladies' tresses, a threatened native orchid, was documented in flower on 2026-09-19 near Shelby Township. This fall bloom coincides with above-normal September temperatures that averaged 2.9°F above the 1991-2020 normal, with warm conditions persisting since early September. Warm autumns may shift flowering phenology for this orchid species.

A Peregrine Falcon was recorded at Detroit Zoo on 2026-09-15 and confirmed by regional review. This swift aerial predator hunts birds and is commonly seen around urban structures where pigeon populations concentrate.

Streamflow on the North Branch Clinton River near Mt. Clemens has dropped sharply this week: 18.1 cubic feet per second on August 6, against a 30-day average of nearly 31, with gage height down almost a foot from its recent norm. This isn't a drought story. Oakland County has held at zero percent drought coverage across every category for the past twelve weeks, so something other than regional weather is pulling this reach down. The timing is what makes this worth watching closely. The Townsend Village wastewater treatment plant, which discharges into this same stretch, is currently on the EPA's significant non-compliance list, one of only two facilities out of more than 500 permitted dischargers scanned across the entire Clinton River watershed to carry that designation. Lower flow means less river volume available to dilute whatever the plant is releasing. A permit violation during normal or high flow is a concern; the same violation during a flow drop like this concentrates effluent into a smaller volume of water, precisely when the receiving stream is least able to absorb it. This stretch sits within a watershed already carrying a real impairment burden, with roughly a third of nearby assessed waterbodies listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act. There's little slack left to work with. The Clinton River Watershed Council monitors this exact reach and is worth following for anyone tracking how this resolves.