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The Au Gres River Watershed
The Au Gres River Watershed, including the East Branch Au Gres River and its tributaries, drains 392 square miles in Ogemaw, Iosco, and Arenac counties. The Au Gres River originates in the forests of eastern Ogemaw County and flows 45 miles through an increasingly agricultural landscape until it enters Saginaw Bay at the City of Au Gres.
Guiley Creek and Smith Creek meet in Iosco County to form the East Branch Au Gres River, of which twelve miles are designated as blue ribbon trout stream by the Michigan DNR. This stretch of river is characterized by excellent insect hatches, wild resident trout stocks and high water quality. Steelhead and salmon also run seasonally, making the East Branch Au Gres an exciting destination for anglers. The lower East Branch Au Gres River historically joined the Au Gres River, but since the 1920s it has been diverted to Lake Huron via the Whitney Drain. The East Branch Au Gres River subwatershed drains 147 square miles, mostly in Iosco County.
Both the Au Gres and East Branch Au Gres rivers support a diverse assemblage of aquatic species. While human influences in this watershed have impaired water quality as well as wildlife and the aquatic habitat on which they rely, the future is promising. By replacing undersized and perched culverts with appropriate road/stream crossing structures natural stream flows and aquatic habitat connectivity can be restored. Completing road/stream crossing improvement projects, implementing agricultural and stormwater best management practices, and restoring severely eroding streambanks will also help protect water quality and aquatic wildlife habitat by reducing inputs of excess sediment and other pollutan