Overview The Huron River is considered to be the cleanest urban river in Michigan. Much of the credit for this status goes to the Huron River Watershed Council (HRWC) and those who saw the need for the river’s protection. Even though HRWC has no enforcement powers, they have accomplished their goals through the use of technical data, factual information and citizen stewardship to influence decisions made by various local agencies, businesses, and individuals. The HRWC’s work reached back to 1956, a time when Ann Arbor was expanding and pollution in the Huron River was already a growing problem. For over 5o years, HRWC has served as a common ground where stakeholders come together to discuss collaboration and coordination between local units of government, businesses, and citizens on water management policies and programs. Throughout the years, these discussions have resulted in reports that governments and agencies have used to direct policies such as wellhead protection planning, pollution prevention in threatened waters, land use planning, flood forecasting and warning, phosphorus reduction, and numerous watershed management plans.