A nonprofit group says the finding of a stonefly in the Main Branch of the Rouge River is an indicator of improving water quality.
Dearborn-based Friends of the Rouge said recently that a team from the Wayne County Department of Public Services' Water Quality Management Division last month positively identified one of the sensitive aquatic insects.
Friends of the Rouge says it's the first such finding in the river's Main Branch since a water sampling program began in 2002. They're regularly found in tributaries and branches of the Middle and Lower Rouge River.
The find came during the Annual Winter Stonefly Search. It's part of a monitoring program coordinated by Friends of the Rouge, which is dedicated to restoring and protecting the 466-square-mile watershed.