The Saginaw Bay Water Replenishment Project uses an innovative, performance-based funding method to encourage landowners to implement practices that will increase water replenishment while also reducing non-point source pollution to nearby surface water.  It's important to maintain levels of water replenishment in the region to replenish drinking water and irrigation sources and maintain stream flow for wildlife.  Instead of offering a standard per acre payment to incentivize installation of conservation practices, landowners will be offered a payment based on the total gallons of water replenished resulting from their project. 

This initiative aims to increase water replenishment by approximately 73 million gallons of groundwater in the Saginaw Bay Watershed by 2019. The project utilizes an online decision support tool, called the Great Lakes Watershed Management System, to estimate benefits to water replenishment achieved through the implementation of key conservation practices, including filter strips, conservation tillage and drainage water management (full list of eligible practices below). 

To achieve this goal the project will fund the installation of at least 200 acres of drainage water management and approximately 1,000 acres of other surface practices.  A dedicated conservation technician will recruit interested landowners and oversee contracts, payments and program evaluation. While there will be special emphasis on recruiting projects within the Cass, Kawkawlin, Pigeon/Pinnebog, Pine/Chippewa, Sebewaing and the Shiawassee River Watersheds,  funding will be available to any interested landowner within the Saginaw Bay Watershed.

The Saginaw Bay Watershed Water Replenishment Project launched in 2015 and is funded through the generous support of corporate partners: Method, Coca Cola Foundation, and Kuerig/GreenMountain.