The Flint River has been under much scrutiny as a result of the Flint Water Crisis. But, the water crisis was not due to a polluted river, but rather naturally high chloride levels in the Flint River that officials did not control for that resulted in corrosion of lead pipes that contaminated the drinking water of many community members. This project aims to research the river and stream bank morphology, as well as the biological diversity and their contaminant load adjacent to campus to highlight that the river is not unlike other large Great Lakes tributaries in urban areas. This project will occur in two phases, with the first phase to occur this spring/summer prior to the $37 million Flint River Restoration Project, and the second phase to occur after the completion of the restoration adjacent to campus, which should be in 2021.

The river transports a lot of sediment, which can make people view the river as dirty or polluted. However, the river is healthy, and this applied research project aims to be able to collect data on the diversity and health of life in the river and communicate this in photos, user-friendly research summaries, communications to community members and a wider audience. The river runs through the city, and this project can help people see the health of the river and opportunities the river can provide. Read the recent article by UM-Flint News.