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. Foote Hydro has a capacity of 9,000 kilowatts. Appliance Service Plan does not affect your regulated utility service. Rogers Dam Pond Houses For Sale. The river follows a southwesterly route through north central Michigan from its headwaters at Houghton Lake to its mouth at Muskegon Lake, which ultimately empties into Lake Michigan. The river has several major branches, such as the Hersey River, Cedar Creek and Little Muskegon River. Today we operate 13 hydroelectric plants. Its time to stop using them. Any dam removal on the Au Sable would likely also change the rivers annual canoe marathon, a storied nonstop dash from Grayling to Oscoda. Zimmermann had four feet of mud in the basement when the wall collapsed, due to heavy rains in the Saginaw area. The Muskegon River never freezes so we fish all winter long, offering great fishing year around. Pre-settlement, the river was a conduit for the movement and a source of sustenance for the native people. An official website of the United States government. Water data back to 1987 are available online. (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. Those tourists frequent nearby canoe liveries and corner stores, restaurants and motels. Authorities feared the dam would break, sending a wall of water downstream all the way to Lake Michigan. It flows in a south, southwest direction before it dumps into the Croton Pond above Croton dam. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Fishing spots and depth contours layers are available in most Lake maps. (The Muskegon Chronicle/ Brian Masck), A car drives through flooded roads. Technicians are currently working on the problem. For fishing reports, bait and tackle, contact Frank's Great Outdoors at (989) 697-5341 or check them out on the Web at www.franksgreatoutdoors.com. (The Grand Rapids Press/ Lance Wynn), Al Dewitt paddles as Steve Clark starts the boat engine. The Gannett Outdoor Advertising company this week finally decided to seek a little comic relief from the gloomy skies by posting this billboard on U.S. 13. " Lamb; rehabilitated 2000. They can be reached at (231) 775-9727. Wind, for example, is 31 times cheaper. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. We have a long history with hydropower, building the Croton Hydro on the Muskegon River in 1907. And across the state, large crowds showed up at public meetings with Consumers to voice their fears about the future. Paddling Michigan. Croton Dam is a hydro dam that was built in 1907. Toxic PFAS forever chemicals threaten both humans and wildlife. Big Bend Park is located on the Big Muskegon River near the Hardy Dam, with 17 miles of waterway for boating, fishing, swimming, and waterskiing. 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. Sediment volumes and associated sediment management costs were significantly less than originally anticipated. Thunder Bay River At Bolton. Muskegon River Turtle Barrier Project, $25,000 from HIA with a total of $545,000 from all partners. This provides enough electricity to serve a community of nearly 23,000. And the communities that surround those bodies of water would be destroyed.. At issue is whether to keep the impoundments in place, or remove them. 2 2.0 , Sq Ft: 1200 Year: 1986 Acres: 12.000. EPA, DOT to increase accountability, safety in wake of Ohio chemical train derailment, Eleven states have committed to 100% clean electricity, Chemical train derailment highlights need for stronger safety rules to protect the environment. (The Muskegon Chronicle/ Brian Masck), Caption: "Newaygo, Mich.,-- These homes near Newaygo, Mich., are nearly submerged Friday as water from the Muskegon River is keeping nearly 1,000 people away from their houses. On the Au Sable, a Facebook group has cropped up devoted to saving the dams. Open all year. The primary river channel is 216 miles (348km) long[1] and drains an area of 2,350 square miles (6,100km2). The ownership of the dam was transferred to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in the fall of 1966. Hardy Dam is an earth-filled embankment dam and powerplant complex on the Muskegon River in Big Prairie Township, Newaygo County, Michigan. 2 stall detached garage for all your toys plus a brand new privacy fence. GNSS2 - Level 2 Quality Survey Grade Global Navigation Satellite System. (The Grand Rapids Press/ Ken Kolker), Partial caption reads, "looking for a wrecker after it stalled on a flooded Bay City street Thursday. We don't think that customers should be paying the full cost of a dam if the reason its going to continue to operate is other than hydropower, said Douglas Jester, an energy policy expert who has represented the ratepayer advocacy group Citizens Utility Board in ratemaking cases. Warm water resident fish: The most popular warm water fish are smallmouth bass and northern pike. Check out the Hydro Reporter for current hydro dam information and events. At issue is whether to keep the impoundments in place, or remove them. For the best performance on this website and others, please upgrade The River wasn't expected to crest until noon Friday. (The Saginaw News/ Gary Netzley), The Brookside Tastee Freeze fell into Mitchell Creek in Big Rapids, Sept. 12, 1986. 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. The road to their home washed away during the two-day rainstorm. The Muskegon River below Croton Dam is a fantastic year-round fishery popular with jet boats, drift boats, and wading anglers. Hardy Dam Lake is a popular destination for boating, fishing, and other water-based recreational activities. There wasn't much water damage. There are approximately 31 bridge crossings over the Muskegon River waterway. Steelhead enter West Michigan rivers as early as late September. The Cabin sleeps six - a king size bed on . Wes Stafford", Caption: Vassar, Mich.-- Emergency workers stroll through downtown Vassar Thursday, aiding merchants we were removing stock or placing it on higher shelves. Newaygo Dam at the centennial celebration in 1954. His daughter learned to swim there, his family goes pontoon boating daily, and his property value benefits from the dams existence. Water data back to 1987 are available online. ", Jo Ann Fischer looks out at her house that is half-submerged in water, as White Creek swells with water in White Cloud, Sept. 11, 1986. (Saginaw News/ David A. Sommers), Sue Van Meter, 31, of Big Rapids, waits for a crane to lift her honda Civic from a 15 to 20 foot hole in a road in Big Rapids, Sept. 11, 1986. But many of Consumers dams are surrounded by largely-undeveloped land, leaving far fewer people to split the tab. Newaygo Powerhouse/Old Newaygo County Museum 4-17-18, Newaygo Grain Elevator the in background (photo-N.Looman). 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. (The Grand Rapids Press/ Anna Moore Butzner), Caption: "The Brookside Tastee Freeze fell into Mitchell Creek in Big Rapids. And she fears removing the dam could release PCB-contaminated sediments from the reservoir, creating new environmental consequences. Removal of this dam. (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. 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.. Five Channels Hydro has a capacity of 6,000 kilowatts. Various inns and cabins down the river can provide accommodations for up to a month. Current seams makes dry fly presentations tricky and the rainbow and brown trout can be very selective at times. In 1836, the state began building dams and locks on . (1) USGS River gaging station on the Muskegon River near Croton. Cool water resident fish: There is a very strong population of resident brown and rainbow trout. 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). The Little Muskegon's beginnings are on the outlet of Horsehead Lake near Mecosta. (2) USGS River gaging station on the Muskegon River looking upstream towards Croton Dam. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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 The future auxiliary spillway project is in the design and engineering phase. (The Saginaw News/ Steve Jessmore), Saginaw, MI: Sept. 14/1986: Saginaw Township resident Ralph Zimmermann's basement wall fell in Thursday, Sept. 11, and family and friends are still cleaning up the mud from belongings and throwing out those beyond help. The Muskegon River watershed drains 2,350 square miles (6,100 km2) from ten counties in north central Michigan: Muskegon, Newaygo, Mecosta, Clare, Osceola, and Roscommon. Feenstra Guide ServiceMuskegon River Fly Shop, Feenstra Guide ServiceGray Drake Lodge andGreat Lakes Fly Fishing/Fred VargasJay Allen Fly Fishing Guide Service, Sign up for Oak Brook Chapter email newsletters & announcements. hb``e``zQ 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. Muskegon River is a river in the western portion of the lower peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. ST. JOSEPH RIVER The St. Joseph River in southwest Michigan is a sleeper when it comes to typical spring walleye action. The Muskingum River Parkway State Park has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places and is recognized as the Muskingum River Navigation Historic District. 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. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS If you will be contacted, you will receive a letter in the mail with additional details. For much of the last century, it was a cheap and reliable form of energy. Developers look here! But Consumers is also unlikely to relicense dams unless it gets regulators permission to charge ratepayers for spillway replacements, new generators, and other upgrades that the company says will cost about $165 million yearly. (The Grand Rapids Press file photo), Don Aldrich, of the city's street maintenance department in Grand Rapids, tries to unclog a storm drain on Fulton Street, Sept. 11, 1986. This years annual winter drawdown for Hardy Pond will begin early November 1, 2022 in preparation for a future auxiliary spillway project. 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. But water quality, affordability, and aging water infrastructure are vulnerabilities that have been ignored for far too long. 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. It was built by the city of Allegan and began commercial operation in 1936. Big Red built in the late 1850s located below the railroad bridge on the east side of river. A contractor from Grand Rapids got the job and for $84,000 the demolition of the dam was completed in February, 1969. (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. But he also lives on Croton Pond, the impoundment created by one of Consumers three Muskegon River dams. The dam removal involved upstream sediment dredging, downstream sediment traps and restoration of natural flow and river bottom elevation. Case in Point The average annual discharge of Muskegon River at Croton Dam is 51.9 m/s. Kentwood, MI 49512 Flood damage seen in an unmarked photo in the Grand Rapids Press files. 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. It began commercial operation in 1924. Just 35 miles north of Grand Rapids is a true getaway in Newaygo, MI: the Muskegon River. (Saginaw News/ David A. Sommers), Caption: Vassar, Mich.-- Much of the Vassar business district was under water Thursday after the Cass River surged over its banks. Canoe, Kayak, Inner Tube, & Flat Bottom Boat Rentals on the Mighty Muskegon River. (The Muskegon Chronicle/ Greg Dorsett), "Nine days of rain is starting to get to people in Grand Rapids. (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. Free parking is available at a paved culdesac above a 50 yard gravel driveway that leads to a flat area right at the river's edge. Scott Looman The idea of losing the dams has nearby residents nervous. Sept. 12, 1986." The river hosts large wetland complexes at its headwaters and at its confluence with Muskegon Lake which provide rich and unique habitats for fish and wildlife. (Bay City Times/ David Sams), Caption: "An emergency crew surveys the damage in downtown Vassar, where the Cass River surged over its banks Thursday. MECOSTA COUNTY Deteriorating dams have become an increasingly urgent issue across the United States. 49337. Guilford: Falcon Publishing, 2001. . Winter in the Rear View Mirror, MRWA While most wading anglers concentrate their time between Newaygo and Croton Dam, boats will motor all the way downstream. (The Grand Rapids Press/ Marvin Laningar). The structures generate electricity by stopping up rivers, flooding the land behind the dams and then releasing that water through the dam, where the force of its flow spins turbines to power a generator. It was completed in 1912. The Muskegon State Game Area spans both Muskegon County and Newaygo County. More than 90 years ago, the Hardy Dam was constructed on the Muskegon River in Newaygo County, and it was known as the largest earthen dam east of the Mississippi River. In a 36 hour period there was reported 10 inches of rain in the Bay City area. The men were leaving the house that Dewitt has been renting after checking for water damage. That process focuses on ensuring reliable electricity at fair rates, leaving limited room to consider the environmental consequences of dams, or their benefits for nearby communities. 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.. Steelhead flies that represent Scuds, Sculpin, and Coho Salmon fry are also very effective near the Croton Dam. Federal regulators consider Consumers' dams to be in satisfactory condition, with none of the alarming deficiencies that plagued the Midland dams. Its not best for the river, said Tess Nelkie, board secretary of fishing and river conservation group Anglers of the Au Sable. Privacy Policy. The river is home to three groups of gamefish: migratory fish, cool water resident fish, and warm water resident fish. Youll find the dam nine miles upstream from Lake Huron. Cut off from spawning habitat in lakes and rivers across the state, Michigans sturgeon population has shrunk to 1 percent of its historic size. 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. Moving north to the Manistee River, Tippy Dam provides ice free water down to at least High Bridge. The fall steelhead fishinggets to be very strong by the third week of October. Rogers Dam is located in Mecosta County south of Big Rapids, with Hardy Dam and Croton Dam located in Newaygo County. Maybe Rogers Dam, the oldest on the Muskegon, could be replaced with a free-flowing river ringed by parks and a golf course. A future auxiliary spillway Project, sending a wall of water downstream all the way to Lake Michigan the has. The Au Sable example, is 31 times cheaper and across the United States an increasingly urgent issue across United... 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