The refuge includes islands, marshes, shoals, and waterfront lands along 48 miles (77 km) of the Detroit River and Western Lake Erie shoreline.

The pollutants were so high after the spring thaw that thousands of migrating birds were killed by oil slicks and contaminated water every year.

The refuge paved the way for tighter restrictions on industries and allocated much needed government funding to clean up the river.

[4] For years before, conservation efforts were halted by the enormous multimillion-dollar cost of removing pollutants from the river.

In addition to that, industries, which had significant political influence, detested the regulations necessary to lessen the amount of pollutants in the river.

[8][9] The Congressional Budget Office originally estimated that the creation of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge would cost between $13–21 million over the first five years, in which the majority of the money spent would be through land acquisitions.

Fish species in abundance in the area include lake whitefish, sturgeon, salmon, perch, and walleye.

Other areas in Lake Erie extending as far south as the Michigan–Ohio border were eventually included into the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge.

At the same time, the refuge acquired the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Strong Unit just north of Estral Beach.

In 2005, the refuge acquired joint management over the 243-acre (98 ha) Eagle Island Marsh in Monroe, Michigan.

This land is at the mouth of the River Raisin in between the Monroe Power Plant and Sterling State Park.

In 2006, the refuge grew to include the 780-acre (315 ha) Lake Erie Metropark in Brownstown Charter Township.

[11] The Refuge also owns the shoals around these islands and has entered into cooperative agreements with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Detroit Edison, a local electricity company, to manage hundreds of acres of habitat on Lake Erie.

[8] The expansion of the refuge is limited due to finances and the fact that most areas within the proposed range are privately owned.

Most of the land within the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is jointly operated by individual landowners and the federal government.