(MLive file photo), Flood waters from the Tittabawasee flood the Saginaw Township wastewater plant early morning, Sept. 14, 1986. We apologize for the inconvenience! Technicians are currently working on the problem. About noon Sept. 13, 1986." Built 1953 by L.W. Muskegon River Fishing Report (231) 519-7348 June 22, 2021 Happy New Year! (Bay City Times/ Wes Stafford), Caption: The corner of Forest St. and Franklin St. in Bridgeport as seen from a rowboat. Located in the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan's Delta County, the Carr Creek Dam has structurally failed yet inhibits fish passage. Pre-settlement, the river was a conduit for the movement and a source of sustenance for the native people. . Phone: 231-796-3420. The plant was shut down at 2 a.m. Saturday. 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. At issue is whether to keep the impoundments in place, or remove them. Hardy Dam Lake is a popular destination for boating, fishing, and other water-based recreational activities. (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. Both types of trout can be found in the twenty miles of river below Croton Dam. Dams. "The cold-water . 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. As a result the dam pond was never raised again. Much of the river, especially near colder springs and creeks, holds healthy numbers of brown and rainbow trout. Dam Hardy Dam Rogers Dam Big Rapids Figure 2.-Major tributaries and landmarks in the Muskegon River watershed. The Great Lakes region is blessed with an abundance of water. The heavy rains have caused the worst flooding in 100 years. ParisPark@MecostaCountyParks.com. . The dams fragmented rivers and warmed their water, harming fish. (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. 98-100. At issue is whether to keep the impoundments in place, or remove them. A community-based, volunteer partnership organization. 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. Cut off from spawning habitat in lakes and rivers across the state, Michigans sturgeon population has shrunk to 1 percent of its historic size. Little Log cabin on the Big Muskegon River. The Muskegon River is a tail water fishery north of Grand Rapids, Michigan below Croton Dam near Newaygo, Michigan. In the late 1800s, Muskegon was home to many different industries, including lumber mills, chemical companies, foundries, a coal-fired power plant, and a paper mill. 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. Foote Hydro has a capacity of 9,000 kilowatts. click here. Migratory fish: Lake Michigan steelhead, lake-run brown trout, and chinook salmon. A home south of Saginaw near highway M-13 sits surrounded by sandbags and high-water, Sept. 16, 1986. Pigeon River At Vanderbilt. The watershed encompasses a variety of land uses including agricultural, forest, recreational, urban, and commercial uses. Starting at $120 Starting at $40 Starting at $80 We have a drift boat for all your river fishing needs. (The Saginaw News/ David A. Sommers) (Emily Rose Bennett | MLive.com), Men help place sandbags near a drainage ditch in the South Lincoln area during the Sept. 1986 floods that affected much of middle Michigan. Scott Looman Find Lake Homes & Real Estate Experts. His daughter learned to swim there, his family goes pontoon boating daily, and his property value benefits from the dams existence. For Sale. Newaygo Powerhouse/Old Newaygo County Museum 4-17-18, Newaygo Grain Elevator the in background (photo-N.Looman). 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. Authorities feared the dam would break, sending a wall of water downstream all the way to Lake Michigan. (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. Amid those changes, Consumers sold or retired most of its dams between the 1940s and 1970s. (Saginaw News file photo), Drivers ford high water in Saginaw about 6:30 a.m. Sept. 12, 1986. Appliance Service Plan does not affect your regulated utility service. Refurbished Newaygo Dam completed 1901 by Portland Cement Company. Little Muskegon River Riverfront Acreage Mecosta , Michigan Acres: 62.000 View Ad # 1082246 Details. The Croton Dam Area . It is approximately 41 miles from Croton Dam in near Newaygo, Michigan to Lake Michigan. The dam formed a lake ironically known as Hardy Dam Pond that boasts more than 50 miles of picturesque shoreline. And cheaper energy sources entered the fray while the aging dams became increasingly expensive to operate and maintain. The river source is located at Houghton Lake in Roscommon County, flowing out of the North Bay into neighboring Missaukee County. 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. In Michigan, the Muskegon River Watershed Assembly is working to solve that problem. And the Manton Mill Pond Removal Study with $40,000 (The Grand Rapids Press/ Anna Moore Butzner), Caption: "Bay City, Mich.,-- Jesse Lopez had to push his bicycle to reach home in the area of Bay City where several streets were submerged and hundreds of basements flooded. Locked padlock 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. Originating in Higgins and Houghton Lakes, the Muskegon River flows 219 miles to its confluence with Muskegon Lake. 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). This trail is great for hiking, paddle sports, and running, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many . A community-based, volunteer partnership organization, Muskegon Lake Public and Private Landowners, Michigan Volunteer River, Creek, Stream Cleanup Program. (The Saginaw News/ Gary Netzley), The Brookside Tastee Freeze fell into Mitchell Creek in Big Rapids, Sept. 12, 1986. And across the state, large crowds showed up at public meetings with Consumers to voice their fears about the future. But its massive environmental tradeoffs quickly became clear. 1009 Campus Drive JOH 200 [6] This state game area is accessible for licensed hunters. Winter in the Rear View Mirror, MRWA The river passes through Clare County, Osceola County, Mecosta County, Newaygo County, and Muskegon County, and generally flows southwesterly to its mouth at Muskegon, Michigan, where it empties into Muskegon Lake. Please respect the rights of private landowners and do not trespass on posted lands. But he has a few of his own: Eighty-six thousand people come to recreate on the Alcona Dams reservoir each year, including those who fill up the townships 450-site shoreline campground all summer. Its time to stop using them. Enjoy the beauty of the Hardy Dam Pond, an amazing water getaway with several access points nearby. The Little Muskegon's beginnings are on the outlet of Horsehead Lake near Mecosta. Removal of this dam. LOCATION ADDRESS: 22090 Northland Dr. Paris, MI 49338. The river source is located at Houghton Lake in Roscommon County, flowing out of the North Bay into neighboring Missaukee County. The river has its headwaters in Houghton Lake in Roscommon County, flowing out of the North Bay into neighboring Missaukee County. (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. It was completed in 1913. (The Bay City Times/Wes Stafford). . Moving north to the Manistee River, Tippy Dam provides ice free water down to at least High Bridge. Heavy rains will send the rover to record highs. The fall steelhead fishinggets to be very strong by the third week of October. 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. Zimmermann had four feet of mud in the basement when the wall collapsed, due to heavy rains in the Saginaw area. 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. There are three man-made reservoirs on the Muskegon River, the Rogers Dam Pond, Hardy Dam Pond, and the Croton Dam Pond. Walleye will be collected with electrofishing boats starting as early as the week of March 20 and concluding by April 14. Today, its one of the more expensive power sources we provide, said Adam Monroe, Consumers executive director of hydro operations. 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. An official website of the United States government. It was completed in 1912. It is connected to Lake Michigan by a shipping Thats far from certain. Newaygo, MI. They can be reached at (231) 775-9727. (The Grand Rapids Press/ Anna Moore Butzner), Caption: "Midland, Mich: Sept. 11- Brian Armstrong carries clothing from the family camper that was overturned by reported tornado at 3am this morning. The river flows over gravel bars, through fast runs and deep pools for nearly 20 miles of quality habitat, providing outstanding fish for both cold and warm water species of fish throughout the year. 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. For suggestions to find the best web browser for you Sediment volumes and associated sediment management costs were significantly less than originally anticipated. (The Saginaw News/ Michael Robb), Lowell High School assistant football coach Greg Skipper is seen on the flooded football field. Kentwood, MI 49512 Those efforts are met with counterpoints from environmentalists who see Consumers process as a rare opportunity to undo the environmental impacts of dams, which have thwarted the survival of migratory fish and other river life. Regulators for years had flagged safety issues at the dams, but Boyce Hydro insisted it lacked the money to make fixes. (Grand Rapids Press/ Anna Moore Butzner), Sandbags keep flood waters at bay in this unmarked photo from the 1986 floods. U.S. Geological Survey. The pond features a rustic "up north" setting that is a popular spot for . Case in Point Big Rapids, MI 49307-2280, Phone: 231-591-2334 Fishing spots and depth contours layers are available in most Lake maps. Documented Unsafe Conditions at Michigan Coal Ash Dams J.R. Whiting Power Station: According to an EPA inspection, the buttressing of the facility's significant hazard dam was All rights reserved (About Us). 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. Caps Lock is on. Lake navigation features include advanced instrumentation to gather wind speed direction, water temperature, water depth . 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.. 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. Cool water resident fish: There is a very strong population of resident brown and rainbow trout. In 1853, the Penoyer family sold their land and business interests in Newaygo to lumbermen from Glenn Falls, New York who called their new lumber business the Newaygo Company. MUSKEGON RIVER NEAR CROTON, MI Important Legacy real-time page Monitoring location 04121970 is associated with a STREAM in NEWAYGO COUNTY, MICHIGAN. hKBa}Z7hP\BCLD~PK-)- I EcP!AD$nur{s5^Y-qA#Ml8 P/1t(S0#lIUowI4GS@QSB'bx{)Q9?O3 /tnSMP^,]w Street View] Deck plate girder bridge over Muskegon River on M-37 & M-82 (Evergreen Drive) Open to traffic. Welcome home to your own private retreat along the picturesque. The heavy rains have washed out a bridge in US-31, a main north-south route. 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. Fluctuations to rivers flow from the fillup and drawdown of reservoirs interrupted natural rhythms that guide many river species reproduction and growth cycles. This years annual winter drawdown for Hardy Pond will begin early November 1, 2022 in preparation for a future auxiliary spillway project. 8. 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. In addition, dirt bikes, snowmobiling, ATVs and other off-road vehicles may not be operated on any company property (except for licensed trails). 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. He spends his days advocating for the rivers health, and believes an undammed Muskegon River would produce a fishery on a world-stage level.. There wasn't much water damage. Cars make their way along North Park Street. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The lake is home to a variety of fish species, including walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, and panfish. Trout beads, Wax Worms, Small Spawn Sacks. 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