Several streets were submerged following rainfall of over 10 inches." It is the third largest earthen dam in the world and the largest east of the Mississippi River. (The Grand Rapids Press/ Anna Moore Butzner), Oceana County Sheriff Fred Korb watches the waters of the south branch of the Pentwater River at Hart Lake, Sept. 12, 1986. Consumers, one of Michigans largest electric utilities, began a lengthy process this autumn to consider the future of its 13 hydropower dams that plug five Michigan rivers: The Au Sable, Manistee, Muskegon, Grand and Kalamazoo. All rights reserved (About Us). Generally considered an easy route, it takes an average of 1 h 25 min to complete. If you were to take out all the dams, said Scott Faulkner, executive director of the Muskegon River Watershed Assembly, you would have a fishery that some have estimated is 50 to 100 times more productive than if the dams were here.. Please respect the rights of private landowners and do not trespass on posted lands. During the lumbering era, it transported thousands of logs to the 47 lumber mills on the shores of Muskegon Lake. (The Muskegon Chronicle/ Brian Masck), High water didn't deter Roger Wilson form trying his luck fishing on Sylvia St. NW near Alpine Avenue in Grand Rapids, Sept. 1986. As a result, the dams now operate at less than 40 percent of their capacity. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the Consumers is considering one of four options for each dam: Relicense and continue generating power; sell to a new owner who would maintain the impoundment; remove the dam and restore a free-flowing river; or build a new barrier that generates no power, but preserves a reservoir. Saugatuck, Sept. 1986. E-MAIL: happycampers5380@gmail.com. The restoration to normal operating water levels will be by May 26, 2023 (Friday prior to Memorial Day weekend). Originating in Higgins and Houghton Lakes, the Muskegon River flows 219 miles to its confluence with Muskegon Lake. From the Office of the Director It serves between 2,000 and 3,000 residential homes. Police Say the Hampton Township apartments were in danger as well. The majority of the bicycle and pedestrian trail crossings are former railroad bridges which have been converted to non-motorized traffic. The river has a unique Native American heritage to it for fishing and hunting, Winfield Scott Gerrish is credited with revolutionizing the Michigan lumber industry by building a seven-mile-long logging railroad from Lake George to the Muskegon River. In early 1965 Consumers Power offered to sell the dam to the City of Newaygo for $1.00 but the offer was declined because the maintenance costs were too high. The flooding caused 6 deaths, injured 89, contributed to the failure of 14 dams, and damage to about 30,000 homes from Muskegon to Bay City. menominee river at white rapids dam near banat, mi -- -- -- 04066800: menominee river at koss, mi -- -- -- 04067500: menominee river near mc allister, wi . We're currently experiencing system issues which may result in website slowness. The USGS Water Resources Division (Lansing) monitored the biological, chemical, and physical conditions of the river before and after removal. Take, for example, the Muskegon River, where migratory native lake sturgeon once had free reign of the 219-mile river from Lake Michigan to Higgins Lake. Brian and his recreational vehicle park here." We fish the Muskegon River starting just below Croton Dam, Which is just east of the city of Newaygo, MI all the way down to the mouth that . The Muskegon River is a smooth flowing tailwater that reminds us of Montana's Missouri River below Coulter Dam. It was completed in 1918 and is named after our founder. Sign up to receive the latest MRWA updates by email. Warm water resident fish: The most popular warm water fish are smallmouth bass and northern pike. All of these communities are dependent on waterways that are created out of those dams, said Coco Soodek, president of the Lake Allegan Association, which represents landowners on the impoundment created by the Calkins Bridge Dam, near Allegan in the Kalamazoo River. Pictured is a washed out area of Maple Island Road on the Muskegon and Newaygo county border, Sept. 11, 1986. Envrionmental Modelling . Education Director Hydro power produces clean, reliable power that weve counted on for more than 100 years. The companys dilemma is familiar: More than 80% of Michigans 2,521 dams have aged beyond their intended life span, resulting in growing costs to keep them going. Northern pike inhabit the entire system and are fished during the months of May through September. Dams. ParisPark@MecostaCountyParks.com. (The Saginaw News/ Gary Netzley), The Brookside Tastee Freeze fell into Mitchell Creek in Big Rapids, Sept. 12, 1986. At issue is whether to keep the impoundments in place, or remove them. [8] The smaller Reedsburg Dam is near the source of the Muskegon River. [2] Little Muskegon River. Photos. Newaygo County Museum. Aluminum flat bottom fish boats with or without a trolling motor. *Appliance Service Plan is not regulated by the Michigan Public Service Commission. Contact Us. And at an average of 105 years old, Consumers says the dams need hundreds of millions of dollars in maintenance and upgrades to continue operating safely. (The Bay City Times/ Wes Stafford), Caption: "Muskegon, Mich.,-- Judy Love, who lives along Little Black Creek in Norton Shores, looks out over her back yard that is now a small lake. When wading you can enter private property if you stay within the clearly defined banks of the stream, and only walk the bank to avoid a hazard. The dam formed a lake ironically known as Hardy Dam Pond that boasts more than 50 miles of picturesque shoreline. The 13 that remain provide just 1.2 percent of the utilitys annual power mix, barely enough to cover their $12.6 million in annual operating costs. 1 Croton Dam.25 hrs : 1 mile float 2 Pine Street 2.0 hrs : 6 mile float 3 Thornapple 2.5hrs:6.5milefloat 4 Henning Park 1.75hrs:4.5milefloat 5 Anderson Flats 160 Acre Parcel Located at 17 Mile & Hwy 66 in Barryton, MI. Much of the river, especially near colder springs and creeks, holds healthy numbers of brown and rainbow trout. The dam is used to produce hydroelectric power and holds back the river to form Hardy Dam Pond. (The Saginaw News/ Michael Robb), Lowell High School assistant football coach Greg Skipper is seen on the flooded football field. There are lots of areas to wade and bank fish near Tippy and the reach between Tippy and High Bridge is a favorite one for boaters. In order to meet Federal guidelines for managing the property within the Croton Hydroelectric project, a Consumers Energy Employee or authorized contractor will be contacting home and property owners bordering the project. The River wasn't expected to crest until noon Friday. Heavy rains sent the Cass River over its banks and into the Tuscola county community. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. (The Bay City Times/ David J. Sams), High water from Mitchell Creek in Big Rapids flooded out the recently completed sports facility at Big Rapids High School. Amid those changes, Consumers sold or retired most of its dams between the 1940s and 1970s. Croton Dam is a hydro dam that was built in 1907. The concrete Childsdale Dam south of Rockford collapsed at 2:15 a.m. Sept. 12, 1986, sending floodwaters down the Rogue River toward the village of Belmont. Loud Hydro has a capacity of 4,000 kilowatts. $78 night. (You can see where many trees have been scraped.) Foote Hydro has a capacity of 9,000 kilowatts. Ft. We're sorry for any inconvenience and ask that you try again later today. And the Manton Mill Pond Removal Study with $40,000 2 Streamgauges Max Discharge: 1,840 cfs Deepest Point: 7.69ft Maximum discharge along the river was observed at the Muskegon River Near Croton with a streamflow rate of 1,840 cfs. But its massive environmental tradeoffs quickly became clear. (The Saginaw News/ Michael Robb), Caption: "M-46 at River Road. (The Muskegon Chronicle/ Brian Masck), Melanie Hummel (13) of Newaygo has a wonderful time running through the flooding waters over M-37 in Grant, Mich., Thursday afternoon. Michiganders pay to offset the dams environmental impacts: The Michigan Department of Natural Resources spends $1 million annually to stock salmon and trout in the Muskegon and Au Sable, where state fisheries chief Jim Dexter said heat from dams puts waterways in a marginal category for trout survival.. Known as the "River of Marshes", anglers experience fun-filled days on the water fighting to catch the rainbow trout that were stocked in the river during the 1870s and the salmon later on in the 1960s. muskegon river at evart, mi : 843 : 903 +60 : 04121507: twin creek at eight mile road near evart, mi : 6.20 : 6.32 +0.1 : 04121944: little muskegon river near oak grove, mi : The Muskegon River-a tailwater fishery of western scale and beauty flowing through the small town of Newaygo-is located just 45 minutes north of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Those wishing to report illegal activity on Consumers Energy property are asked to call our corporate security department at 800-760-3295. 8. Large resident Brown, Rainbow trout, Smallmouth bass and walleye are also numerous in the Muskegon River which makes it a great year round fishery. Shirley Gunnerson was riding in the vehicle driven by her son, Andrew, and another youth when the storm forced them off the road. (The Muskegon Chronicle/ Brian Masck), Charlie Eisenlohr, Superintendent of Hart Hydroelectric , takes a short break on a pile of sandbags after working all day with a crew of employees and volunteers to try and save the Hart dam. We are working on a plan for the future of our dams. (The Muskegon Chronicle/ Beth Erhart)", Caption: "Booth News Service, Mike McDonnell, 32, (far right) had just moved to Saginaw from Grand Island, Nebraska, he said that he has his doubts about staying, Sept. 11, 1986. Scott Looman Share. The Newaygo Company sold their holdings including the dam to the Portland Cement Company who operated a new cement plant in Newaygo. :A Z3l}/1 z,v endstream endobj startxref 0 %%EOF 109 0 obj <>stream . (MLive file photo), Flood waters from the Tittabawasee flood the Saginaw Township wastewater plant early morning, Sept. 14, 1986. Groups like his and the Anglers of the Au Sable generally favor removing most dams, while maintaining a downstream barrier to keep Great Lakes invasive lamprey from entering rivers. Toxic PFAS forever chemicals threaten both humans and wildlife. Beautiful park on a bluff overlooking Muskegon River and the backwaters of the Hardy Dam. The Tuscola county community of the Mississippi River sold or retired most of its dams between the 1940s 1970s! 0 % % EOF 109 0 obj < > stream that was built in 1907 confluence Muskegon! 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