(The Grand Rapids Press/ Anna Moore Butzner), Nick Ruehmeier, 11, and sister Megan, 6, who live next to Hardy Dam, cross the dam as water pours over it, Sept. 11, 1986. MUSKEGON RIVER NEAR CROTON, MI Important Legacy real-time page Monitoring location 04121970 is associated with a STREAM in NEWAYGO COUNTY, MICHIGAN. (The Grand Rapids Press/ Ben Beversluis), Wayne W. Allswede of Frankemuth cleans out mud from under the hot water heater in friend Ralph Zimmermann's home in Saginaw Township. The Great Flood of 1986 resulted in $500 million of damage throughout Michigan's central lower Peninsula. The USGS Water Resources Division (Lansing) monitored the biological, chemical, and physical conditions of the river before and after removal. Just 35 miles north of Grand Rapids is a true getaway in Newaygo, MI: the Muskegon River. The Muskegon is close by if the White is too icy. 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. (The Muskegon Chronicle/ Greg Dorsett), "Nine days of rain is starting to get to people in Grand Rapids. Those wishing to report illegal activity on Consumers Energy property are asked to call our corporate security department at 800-760-3295. Heavy rains sent the Cass River over its banks and into the Tuscola county community. And the Manton Mill Pond Removal Study with $40,000 Hydropowers waning cost-competitiveness at times leaves dam owners struggling to cover those costs. (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. Boats need to be on the river no later than 1pm Monday - Friday and 2pm Saturday & Sunday. Little Log cabin on the Big Muskegon River. Locked padlock (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. Youll find the dam nine miles upstream from Lake Huron. "The cold-water . For the best performance on this website and others, please upgrade [6] This state game area is accessible for licensed hunters. A community-based, volunteer partnership organization, Muskegon Lake Public and Private Landowners, Michigan Volunteer River, Creek, Stream Cleanup Program. 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. 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 area around the town of Newaygo has access to the river, and the river is ideal for fishing and canoeing. The river corridor features steep banks and unique scenery. It began commercial operation in 1907. And across the state, large crowds showed up at public meetings with Consumers to voice their fears about the future. The idea of losing the dams has nearby residents nervous. Both parks have cabins, a beach and a boathouse. Length 3.6 miElevation gain 374 ftRoute type Out & back. In this series, members of the Great Lakes News Collaborative, Michigan Radio, Bridge Michigan, Great Lakes Now, and Circle of Blue, explore what it might take to preserve and protect this precious resource. Consumers, one of Michigan's 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. Sign up to receive the latest MRWA updates by email. Along the way, the east branch of the Little Muskegon, Shinglebolt Creek, Cedar Creek and several other creeks dump into the Little Muskegon. (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. Five Channels Hydro has a capacity of 6,000 kilowatts. (2) USGS River gaging station on the Muskegon River looking upstream towards Croton Dam. If you like to swing flies, lean toward areas that are slower than walking speed or areas where you can get a fly down and keep it down. Saugatuck, Sept. 1986. 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. Just west of this tiny town near Oscoda sits one of six hydroelectric dams that tamed the Au Sable River a century ago to supply power to a growing population. The watershed encompasses a variety of land uses including agricultural, forest, recreational, urban, and commercial uses. Little Muskegon River Riverfront Acreage Mecosta , Michigan Acres: 62.000 View Ad # 1082246 Details. (The Bay City Times/Wes Stafford). The forest along the river varies from mixed oak, pine and aspen to white cedar and hemlock stands. The future auxiliary spillway project is in the design and engineering phase. Over time, these industries filled in the shoreline of the lake and contaminated the water and sediment with compounds such as mercury and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This years annual winter drawdown for Hardy Pond will begin early November 1, 2022 in preparation for a future auxiliary spillway project. This provides enough electricity to serve a community of nearly 23,000. MECOSTA COUNTY The Muskegon River Watershed Assembly and its partners have received funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to support the removal of Altona and Buckhorn dam projects, according to a news release from the organization. Muskegon River is a river in the western portion of the lower peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The Little Muskegon's beginnings are on the outlet of Horsehead Lake near Mecosta. During the lumbering era, it transported thousands of logs to the 47 lumber mills on the shores of Muskegon Lake. (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. The ponds they created became destinations for boating, swimming and fishing, fueling tourism in a part of the state with limited jobs. His daughter learned to swim there, his family goes pontoon boating daily, and his property value benefits from the dams existence. For Sale. They immediately started construction on a wooden dam that would provide the power to operate Big Red the largest water powered sawmill in the state at that time. (Grand Rapids Press/ Anna Moore Butzner), A man stands near a collapsed road along the Muskegon River. Directions. The dam is used to produce hydroelectric power and holds back the river to form Hardy Dam Pond. 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. Current conditions of DISCHARGE, DISSOLVED OXYGEN, GAGE HEIGHT, and MORE are available. But as a business owner, he can relate to Consumers' conundrum. It is the third largest earthen dam in the world and the largest east of the Mississippi River. Consumers, one of Michigan's 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. Nightly camping or cabin reservations will begin February 1st at 4:00 pm. Water data back to 1987 are available online. The decision has more potential to alter Michigans rivers and the communities that surround them than perhaps any action since their construction stopped up the rivers and inundated a collective 17,200 surrounding acres with water that people built lives and livelihoods around. The river source is located at Houghton Lake in Roscommon County, flowing out of the North Bay into neighboring Missaukee County. Aluminum flat bottom fish boats with or without a trolling motor. Its not like this is an existential threat to them., Faulkner, with the Muskegon River Watershed Assembly, sees both sides of the argument. Newaygo Dam at the centennial celebration in 1954. It is approximately 41 miles from Croton Dam in near Newaygo, Michigan to Lake Michigan. Paris Park was Michigan's second fish-rearing facility when it opened in 1881. Hunting is popular in the forests near by on public hunting land. (1) USGS River gaging station on the Muskegon River near Croton. Envrionmental Modelling . There is abundant wildlife, including otters, waterfowl, white-tailed deer, and eagles and, although development has been creeping in, the upper reaches are still fairly remote and natural with much of the surrounding land composed of state-owned tracts. Croton Dam and the Muskegon river just a short walk from the premises . In its day, the system of locks and dams helped open the state and the entire Midwest to trade and development. WRSX 91.3 Port Huron is off the air due to network issues. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). 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. Any dam removal on the Au Sable would likely also change the rivers annual canoe marathon, a storied nonstop dash from Grayling to Oscoda. Police Say the Hampton Township apartments were in danger as well. Steelhead fishing is hit or miss in this cold water period of the year. Viewing Consumers eventual exit from the hydro business as inevitable, he and his colleagues have begun working with Muskegon River communities to envision a future that doesn't involve the dams in their current form. Figure 7.-Muskegon River gradient profile, and fish community and water temperature sites used during 1989 and 1992. Roads and campsites are paved. On the Kalamazoo River, hundreds of residents who live on the reservoir created by the Calkins Bridge Dam have joined a property owners association that is lobbying for its survival. (The Muskegon Chronicle/ Brian Masck), A car drives through flooded roads. 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. Wind, for example, is 31 times cheaper. Andrew and the other passenger, Lee DenBraber, suffered minor injuries in the accident." The three major dams of the Muskegon River (Rogers, Hardy and Croton) generate about 45,600 kilowatts, with about 30,000 of that from Hardy Dam. Fluctuations to rivers flow from the fillup and drawdown of reservoirs interrupted natural rhythms that guide many river species reproduction and growth cycles. Like many of its neighboring streams, the Muskegon was one of the favored logging rivers during the boom years of the 1880s-1890s, and a keen eye can still pick out remnants of stray logs embedded on the river bottom, left over from the spring logging runs. Its time to stop using them. Lake navigation features include advanced instrumentation to gather wind speed direction, water temperature, water depth . . Lamb; rehabilitated 2000. We have a long history with hydropower, building the Croton Hydro on the Muskegon River in 1907. It was completed in 1912. 2 2.0 , Sq Ft: 1200 Year: 1986 Acres: 12.000. From there it flows mostly southwest to Muskegon, Michigan, where it empties into Muskegon Lake. Two years ago, the MRWA received a grant from the Ice Mountain Environmental Stewardship Fund to identify dams in the watershed that are no longer viable. All three dams on the river are owned and operated by Consumers Power for power generation purposes. 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. Offering lodging on the famed Muskegon River, one mile downstream from the Croton-Hardy Dam. LOCATION ADDRESS: 22090 Northland Dr. Paris, MI 49338. That is enough electricity to serve a community of nearly 23,000. 98-100. :A Z3l}/1 z,v endstream endobj startxref 0 %%EOF 109 0 obj <>stream Later road was closed to traffic across Tittabawassee. *Appliance Service Plan is not regulated by the Michigan Public Service Commission. "Several thousand gallons" of liquid containing hexavalent chromium have spilled into the Huron River. The heavy rains have caused the worst flooding in 100 years. Large amounts of rain have caused massive flooding. 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. But fast forward a century, and the same structures have become expensive, environmentally costly assets that deliver negligible amounts of power at a premium price. As a result, the dams now operate at less than 40 percent of their capacity. Technicians are currently working on the problem. Au . Share. Muskegon River Fishing Report: 02/18/2020 The lower river is still turning out steelhead. The basement wall collapsed Thursday, Sept. 11, and Allswede has been one of the many friends and family to help Zimmermann clean up his home, and the more than four feet of mud from his basement. On the Au Sable, a Facebook group has cropped up devoted to saving the dams. Muskegon River is a river in the western portion of the lower peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Hydro power produces clean, reliable power that weve counted on for more than 100 years. (The Bay City Times/ Wes Stafford), Caption: "MUSKEGON, MICH., Sept. 11 -- It is bad enough to go shopping during a rainstorm, but for Paul Omness of Muskegon, his trip across the rain swept parking lot of a grocery store Wednesday afternoon included the added nuisance of a broken umbrella. Rogers Dam Pond Houses For Sale. 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