With 1,087 residents in the entire township surrounding the Alcona Dam Pond, McCormick said, I dont know who around here would have that kind of resources.. 49337. The Little Muskegon's beginnings are on the outlet of Horsehead Lake near Mecosta. Imagine awakening in complete peace to a beautiful sunrise reflecting on the surface of the glittering water serenaded by the morning songbirds. The forest along the river varies from mixed oak, pine and aspen to white cedar and hemlock stands. Hardy Dam Lake is a popular destination for boating, fishing, and other water-based recreational activities. This is truly a unique family getaway! Our Address. The Muskegon River is a tail water fishery north of Grand Rapids, Michigan below Croton Dam near Newaygo, Michigan. You'll find the dam nine miles upstream from Lake Huron. But licenses for 11 of the 13 dams will expire in 2034, putting the company on a timeline to decide whether its logical to make the investments needed to keep them safe for the future. 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. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the The dam formed a lake ironically known as Hardy Dam Pond that boasts more than 50 miles of picturesque shoreline. Thats far from certain. The heavy rains have caused the worst flooding in 100 years. Water in the downtown area was up to the awnings of businesses. . Regulators for years had flagged safety issues at the dams, but Boyce Hydro insisted it lacked the money to make fixes. 160 Muskegon River Watershed Assessment . Newaygo Dam at the centennial celebration in 1954. At issue is whether to keep the impoundments in place, or remove them. There are trees along the roads at every site--with most sites being back-in, caution needs to be taken manuevering a big rig into your site. Croton Dam is a hydro dam that was built in 1907. The . Amid those changes, Consumers sold or retired most of its dams between the 1940s and 1970s. It was built between 1914-16 and is our furthest upstream (west) hydro on the Au Sable 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. The river is home to three groups of gamefish: migratory fish, cool water resident fish, and warm water resident fish. The primary river channel is 216 miles (348km) long[1] and drains an area of 2,350 square miles (6,100km2). The average annual discharge of Muskegon River at Croton Dam is 51.9 m/s. Technicians are currently working on the problem. TEL: 231-652-5957. Muskegon Lake is a 1,679 hectare drowned river mouth that was created historically by fluctuating Lake Michigan water levels and the closing of a channel by wind induced erosion of sand dunes. 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. "Several thousand gallons" of liquid containing hexavalent chromium have spilled into the Huron River. Heavy rains over the past two days have caused the worst flooding in Western Michigan in over 100 years." 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. In 1900, the company began work on two major projects, the reconstruction of the Newaygo Dam and the construction of the Newaygo Powerhouse to provide water powered energy for the plant. The energy from the powerhouse was used by Portland Cement Company until the mid 1920s when the company switched to steam power and sold the dam to Consumers Power Company Consumers Energy as we know it today. United States. Muskegon River is a river in the western portion of the lower peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. While most wading anglers concentrate their time between Newaygo and Croton Dam, boats will motor all the way downstream. (Grand Rapids Press/ Anna Moore Butzner), A man stands near a collapsed road along the Muskegon River. The plant and its 110,000-volt transmission line (the highest voltage in use at that time) attracted international attention. The river source is located at Houghton Lake in Roscommon County, flowing out of the North Bay into neighboring Missaukee County. In its day, the system of locks and dams helped open the state and the entire Midwest to trade and development. The rivers history is as long as the river itself. hb``e``zQ The refurbished dam was completed in 1901. A community-based, volunteer partnership organization, Muskegon Lake Public and Private Landowners, Michigan Volunteer River, Creek, Stream Cleanup Program. 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 : (MLive file photo), Croton Dam operates its floodgates at full capacity downstream on the Muskegon River from the endangered Hardy Dam, Sept. 12, 1986. Here's a Link for the Boat Launches from Newaygo Downstream (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. Length 3.6 miElevation gain 374 ftRoute type Out & back. ParisPark@MecostaCountyParks.com. (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. The watershed encompasses a variety of land uses including agricultural, forest, recreational, urban, and commercial uses. (The Saginaw News/ Gary Netzley), Caption: "Bay City, Mich.--George Raymaker helps remove belongings from an apartment at the Tradewinds complex that was flooded this morning. 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.. Agents, Brokers, Realtors and For Sale By Owner: Advertise Lakefront Property in MI . Additionally, spring steelhead fishing is underway in the nearby Muskegon, and Pere Marquette rivers, and in the White River below Hesperia. Caps Lock is on. (The Grand Rapids Press/ Marvin Laningar). In October of 1968 the State of Michigan started taking bids for the destruction of the Newaygo Dam. Envrionmental Modelling . Invasive Plants and Waterfowl The DNR prefers dam removal wherever feasible, a position it made known in an Oct. 21 letter to Consumers executive director. (The Grand Rapids Press flee photo), A boy is seen floating in the flooded roads near Sylvia Street and Alpine Avenue NW in Grand Rapids during the flood of Sept. 1986. Leave your worries behind and soak up the sun on a river rafting trip. Without them, McCormick said, communities surrounding the dams would wither. Photos. Its not best for the river, said Tess Nelkie, board secretary of fishing and river conservation group Anglers of the Au Sable. Riverfront. The river is cautiously wadable in levels below 6 feet and 2500 cubic feet per second along the north side of the river throughout the length of the park. Click here to see a map of properties that will be contacted, If you have questions, please email us at hydro@cmsenergy.com. He spends his days advocating for the rivers health, and believes an undammed Muskegon River would produce a fishery on a world-stage level.. As a result the dam pond was never raised again. The Hardy Dam on the Muskegon River, in Big Prairie Township, Newaygo County, Michigan is also an earthen dam like the one at Hungarian Creek. Offering lodging on the famed Muskegon River, one mile downstream from the Croton-Hardy Dam. Roger was trying his luck fishing." Muskegon River ( / mskin / ms-KEE-gn) is a river in the western portion of the lower peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Following the disaster, a state task force concluded that dams across the state need immediate attention to avoid future tragedies, including money to fix problem dams and substantially enhance dam removal.. Soodek, of the Lake Allegan Association, said she doesnt feel it should be property owners responsibility to keep the Kalamazoo River reservoir intact. Phone: 231-796-3420. [4] However, there were several Michigan logging railroads in operation in the 1850s, including the seven-mile-long Blendon Lumber Company railroad in Ottawa County, which was the first in the state to employ a steam locomotive in May 1857.[5]. Information and photos for this article was acquired from documents held by the Newaygo County Museum and Heritage Center. The Muskegon River never freezes so we fish all winter long, offering great fishing year around. It raised the level of the pond for better recreational opportunities and employed a gate that could be opened and closed for dam and pond maintenance. (Grand Rapids Press/ Anna Moore Butzner), Sandbags keep flood waters at bay in this unmarked photo from the 1986 floods. James McKormick, supervisor in Curtis Township, which includes Glennie, is familiar with the statistics on the dams environmental tradeoffs. Scott Looman The powerhouse was built on the foundation of Big Red and used the same water races to supply power for the four water powered fly wheel turbines, producing 2000 horse power. Both types of trout can be found in the twenty miles of river below Croton Dam. Hydro power produces clean, reliable power that weve counted on for more than 100 years. At issue is whether to keep the impoundments in place, or remove them. Discover Lock #10 on the Muskingum River in Zanesville, Ohio: One of the last few period-correct, hand-operated canal locks in the country. In 1967 a routine lowering of the pond by Consumers Power, in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Conservation, to determine if repairs were needed to insure the free migration of steelhead, trout, and walleye, uncovered flaws in the dam that were cost prohibitive to repair. Rogers Dam Pond Houses For Sale. (Bay City Times/ Wes Stafford), William and Adelle Hall, are evacuated from their home in the flood waters of the Muskegon River Friday afternoon by Lt. Butch Barnes of Muskegon County Emergency services as the Hall's dog, Brownie, heads for the boat, Sept. 12, 1986. A home south of Saginaw near highway M-13 sits surrounded by sandbags and high-water, Sept. 16, 1986. "The cold-water . Nicely wooded lot tucked off the road. Those wishing to report illegal activity on Consumers Energy property are asked to call our corporate security department at 800-760-3295. It serves between 2,000 and 3,000 residential homes. Current conditions of DISCHARGE, DISSOLVED OXYGEN, GAGE HEIGHT, and MORE are available. They can be reached at (231) 775-9727. Cars make their way along North Park Street. The Muskegon is close by if the White is too icy. Today, as you kayak or fish under the M37 Bridge you can still see the steel remnants of the Newaygo Dam reaching out from the bed of the river. Consumers officials spent the fall making the rounds to communities surrounding the dams, from Newaygo and Big Rapids on the Muskegon, to Mesick and Brethren on the Manistee, assuring residents that the company has made no decisions yet. Several streets were submerged following rainfall of over 10 inches." The Muskegon State Game Area spans both Muskegon County and Newaygo County. Figure 7.-Muskegon River gradient profile, and fish community and water temperature sites used during 1989 and 1992. The Muskegon River is a tail water fishery north of Grand Rapids, Michigan below Croton Dam near Newaygo, Michigan. There wasn't much water damage. About noon Sept. 13, 1986." Aluminum flat bottom fish boats with or without a trolling motor. These fish return to the river to spawn and reproduce. (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. Kelly House covers Michigan environmental issues for Bridge. The river passes through Clare County, Osceola County, Mecosta County, Newaygo County, and Muskegon County, a. The river is home to three groups of gamefish: migratory fish, cool water resident fish, and warm water resident fish. The majority of the bicycle and pedestrian trail crossings are former railroad bridges which have been converted to non-motorized traffic. Consumers Energy is authorized by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to issue permits for the use and occupancy of project lands and waters. Perhaps Croton and Hardy dams stay put, but with new fish ladders to let migratory fish pass upstream, and better technology to cool the water coming out of the impoundments. Newaygo Dam at the centennial celebration in 1954 In October of 1968 the State of Michigan started taking bids for the destruction of the Newaygo Dam. Three existing earth embankment dam sections A buttress spillway section An existing 300 acre-feet impoundment A powerhouse containing four generating units with a total capacity of . The Muskegon is a fantastic smallmouth river from late June until late September. Flood damage seen in an unmarked photo in the Grand Rapids Press files. The heavy rains have washed out a bridge in US-31, a main north-south route. The DNR office in Cadillac keeps close tabs on the Manistee River and the Muskegon River (which follows). 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. And she fears removing the dam could release PCB-contaminated sediments from the reservoir, creating new environmental consequences. Fluctuations to rivers flow from the fillup and drawdown of reservoirs interrupted natural rhythms that guide many river species reproduction and growth cycles. The Muskegon River is the second-longest river in Michigan. Muskegon Belle River Detroit Edison Co. 1 4 35 5 unknown East China Dan E Karn Consumers Energy Co. 1 1 Unknown 0 Satifactory Essexville Eckert Station . While the company is years from making a decision, its deliberations are drawing keen interest from nearby residents who fear lost property values and dying towns, from electric ratepayer advocates wary of the high costs to maintain dams that deliver little power, and from environmentalists who see a once-in-a-lifetime chance to restore rivers harmed by the impoundments. The river corridor features steep banks and unique scenery. Privacy Policy. Cool water resident fish: There is a very strong population of resident brown and rainbow trout. Steelhead fishing is hit or miss in this cold water period of the year. Fifty years later, lumbering had faded as a major industry in Michigan and the old wooden dam was in need of major repairs. Lake navigation features include advanced instrumentation to gather wind speed direction, water temperature, water depth . Pine River 3 S. Rudyard. We're sorry for any inconvenience and ask that you try again later today.
