The Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute and Alpine Charter Township continue a partnership that began in 1993 with restoration efforts in York Creek, a severely degraded stream in Kent County, Michigan. The project is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, and is administered by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The goal of the project is to return York Creek to the productive coldwater fishery it once was. Following a comprehensive examination of the watershed, AWRI has developed the York Creek Watershed Project Watershed Management Plan.

Implementation of that plan began in April 1996. It includes the installation of a variety of structural, vegetative, and managerial Best Management Practices (BMPs). Among these are stormwater management controls, grade and streambank stabilization methods, ordinance development, and the integration of a computer-based Watershed Management Decision Support System (DSS) into normal township operations.