Мичиган штатындағы Руж өзенінің экологиялық жағдайы

River in Michigan
the body of water in metropolitan Detroit

The River Rouge is a 127 mile (204 kilometer) river in the Metro Detroit area of southeastern Michigan. It flows into the Detroit River at Zug Island, which is the boundary between the cities of River Rouge and Detroit. The river's roughly 467 square miles (1,210 km2) watershed includes all or parts of 48 municipalities, with a total population of more than 1.35 million, and it drains a large portion of central and northwest Wayne County, as well as much of southern Oakland County and a small area in eastern Washtenaw County. Nearly the entire drainage basin is in urban and suburban areas, with areas of intensive residential and industrial development. Still, more than 50 mile (80 km) of the River Rouge flow through public lands, making it one of the most accessible rivers in the state. Until recently the river was heavily polluted, and in 1969 oil on the surface caught fire. The passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972 made it unlawful to discharge any pollution from a point source into navigable waters, and the EPA's National Pollution Discharge Elimination Program was created to regulate these discharges. In 1986, a non profit organization of concerned citizens called Friends of the Rouge was formed and began organizing an annual cleanup called Rouge Rescue, to raise awareness about the need to clean up the Rouge. In 1987, the entire watershed was designated a Great Lakes "area of concern" under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. In 1992, a massive project called the Rouge River National Wet Weather Demonstration Project was implemented, and further cleanup measures are ongoing. The Alliance of Rouge Communities is an organization of governmental and non governmental entities created in 2006 to manage the watershed.

The U. S. Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement defines an Area of Concern (AOC) as “geographic areas designated by the Parties where significant impairment of beneficial uses has occurred as a result of human activities at a local level.” The EPA and other environmental agencies are working to restore the 27 remaining U. S. AOCs in the Great Lakes Basin Region, including River Rouge. There are 43 AOCs in the Great Lakes Basin total, with the rest in Canada or shared by the two countries.

Over 50% of the land surrounding the River Rouge is used for residential, industrial, and commercial purposes and development pressure continues to increase. Consequently, the river is highly polluted and was designated as a Great Lakes Area of Concern under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1987. The designated AOC covers the entire River Rouge watershed including 48 communities that drain 466 square miles of southeastern Michigan into the Detroit River. Sources of pollution include municipal and industrial discharges, sewer overflows, and several nonpoint source pollution (e. g., storm water runoff).

The Henry Ford, billed as "America's Greatest History Attraction", is a major tourist destination in the area. It includes Greenfield Village, which was opened in 1929 to preserve historic landmarks, including Noah Webster’s House, Thomas Edison’s Menlo Lab and the garage where Henry Ford built the Quadricycle, his first car.

Since 1992 the Rouge River Bird Observatory has operated on the campus of University of Michigan Dearborn.

The trail has access points from Michigan Avenue in Dearborn, from Fair Lane and from the University of Michigan Dearborn campus. There is an aspiration to develop the greenway trail all the way to the Detroit River.

River Rouge Park has been operated by the city of Detroit since the 1920s. Its boundary is formed by the railway to the north and West Warren to the south and by Outer Drive, West Parkway and Parkland on the west and Trinity and Burt Road on the east. In July 2014, two Olympic sized pools and a bath house were reopened at Rouge Park as part of a $5.5 million park renovation project. Covering , River Rouge is the largest park in the city. In contrast, the more well known Belle Isle State Park of Detroit covers 982 acres (397 ha).