| Upper Muskegon |
Within the service area of Huron Pines, the large Muskegon River Watershed is born. Both Higgins and Houghton lakes are the extreme northern end of the watershed. Both of these valuable recreation resources receive heavy use; restoration projects led by local partners are essential in order to help maintain opportunities for quality recreational experiences.
Over the past 5 years, Huron Pines RC&D has been actively involved in numerous projects within the Higgins Lake Watershed. The watershed covers an area of 18,907 acres and is located in Roscommon and Crawford counties with minor acreage in Kalkaska and Missaukee counties. The area comprising the Higgins Lake Watershed is a highly popular tourist destination due to its clear water, natural setting, wildlife habitats, and proximity to two major highway corridors, I-75 and US-127.
Water from Higgins lake flows to Lake Michigan via the Cut River, Houghton Lake and the Muskegon River. Only one mile north of the lake is Beaver Creek, which flows into the AuSable River and thence into Lake Huron.
Higgins Lake is one of Michigan’s larger and more spectacular lakes, with a surface are of 9,831 acres and a volume of nearly 20 billion cubic feet. Higgins Lake is a spring-fed lake with 51.3% of its volume coming from groundwater. Only 5.7% of its volume comes from streams and the remaining 43% is derived from direct rainfall and surface runoff. Higgins Lake has a long hydrologic retention time, estimated at 12.4 years and is a clear water lake which ranks tenth in size in the State of Michigan and fifth in depth. The shoreline of Higgins Lake covers 21.3 miles. The mean depth of the lake is 44.3 feet with about one-third of Higgins Lake being shoal and about one-half of the lake exceeding depths of 50 feet. There are two deep basins in the lake. The north basin is 135 feet deep and the south basin is 100 feet deep.
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