Please circulate to your organizations! Good news!Update from the Lake Level Committee, 9/19/2019
Success!Tonight the Antrim County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to fund our Hydrology Study! They voted to spend $77,375, which when added to the $287,000 that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is bringing to the table, will fully fund the USACE performed Hydrology Study.We thank you for your tremendous support in achieving this important milestone! Thank you, thank you!This study will build a Hydrology Model which will cover the entire Elk River Chain of Lakes (ERCOL) and will be used to understand what is causing the flooding and increased Upper Chain lake level variability we have been experiencing since 2013. Once we understand what the root causes are, we will have the information necessary to consider what to do next. The USACE will begin work this fall, and work will continue for 2 years.While the initial focus of the model will be to understand Upper Chain lake level variability, the Hydrology Model, once developed and calibrated, will have broad usefulness and application throughout the entire chain. It will be a tool for the entire ERCOL and will be able to study concerns everywhere. Because of that, we thank everyone who has been supporting us and helping us as we push forward in this process. Thank you, one and all!Its also important to note that the Board of Commissioners also approved tonight our recommended improvements to the operating guidelines for the Bellaire Dam. These will go into effect immediately and we feel will help somewhat to control Intermediate Lake at its court appointed lake levels. (Note, we’re not saying “no more flooding” or “no more high lake levels in the Upper Chain”, but we’re hoping these revised guidelines will help a little bit. We still need the Hydrology study for that.)Also a big thanks to the Antrim County Operator of Dams, Mark Stone, who has been working along side the Lake Level committee in this effort and without whose cooperation and teamwork we definitely would not have made it this far. Thanks Mark!Once again, thank you!Stay tuned, since our work is just beginning!Dave ChristianJanet HickmanCo-chairs, Lake Level CommitteeAnd Thank You all the Six Mile Lake Association Members that attended the County Meeting to show our Support for the Hydrology Study.
