Proposals for Improvements to Upper Chain of Lakes by Dam Operator Leslie Meyers:
The Six Mile Lake Association has been raising concerns with the Antrim County Board of Commissioners for several years regarding the significant flooding issues affecting the Upper Chain of Lakes. Antrim County now has a Dam Operator, Leslie Meyers, who is working on establishing a Special Assessment District (SAD) to finance enhancements to the Bellaire Dam, dredging the chokepoints along the Chain to improve water flow, and replacing the culvert in Ellsworth with a wider box culvert to facilitate faster water drainage from St. Clair Lake. A legal decision in 1989 resolved a dispute between two lake associations by setting a water level for the Upper Chain. Monitoring is conducted using a gauge at the Intermediate Lake Bridge in Central Lake. Dredging of the channels connecting the lakes was carried out before the 1970s but ceased thereafter. Over time, these channels have filled with sediment, causing water levels in the Upper Chain to rise. During rainy periods, extensive shoreline areas are flooded. The past two years have been particularly challenging, and without intervention, 2027 is expected to bring further difficulties. The Bellaire Dam narrowly avoided a breach in 2026, thanks to Leslie Meyers’ prompt response, preventing a situation similar to what occurred in Sanford. Property owners in the area are now facing important decisions. The current proposed SAD district, based on Antrim County Equalization data, excludes the lakes north of Wilson Lake, meaning Ellsworth, St. Clair, and Six Mile Lake are not included, despite being integral parts of the Upper Chain and feeding the other lakes. Approximately 189 property owners on these three lakes are located in Charlevoix County, outside Leslie’s jurisdiction in Antrim County. The Charlevoix County Board of Commissioners (BOC) have been asked to give Leslie the authority to include those property owners and the BOC is not responding to this request. So the current SAD, if the three lakes are not included, would only fix the dam and only dredge in front of the dam. The rest of the interconnected waterways would remain plugged and the culvert in Ellsworth, which has outlived its 50 year safety life, would remain unchanged.
If Charlevoix County agrees to come on board and give Leslie the authority to add in the Charlevoix County property owners then about 400 additional property owners would be included in a larger SAD and there would be funds to dredge the channels and replace the culvert in Ellsworth with a 21′ box culvert. Those are the two choices we property owners on Ellsworth, St Clair and Six Mile Lake have. The second choice also requires Leslie to go back to court to enlarge the Special Assessment District to include the extra three lakes. In either scenario, we cannot afford to wait. We WILL go through flooding next spring because work won’t start until 2027.
As to the cost, many factors will be in play as different properties, based on use, will have different assessment amounts. For example, commercial businesses such as marinas will pay more, shared access less, etc.
To date, the Charlevoix County Board of Commissioners has not received enough encouragement from their Charlevoix County constituents to make them move forward. I would encourage you to contact them and tell them how important it is for them to get on board. More flooding is coming. That we can count on. We can kick the can down the road but the water level will only get higher, the channels will remain impassable and more homes and frontage will flood. Please contact the Charlevoix County Board of Commissioners as soon as possible. We have no time to waste.
Robert Jess 231.881.1470
[email protected]
Chris Christiansen 231.675.1144
[email protected]
Tim Kenney 231.536.3445
[email protected]
Joshua Chamberlain 231.675.2832
[email protected]
Scott Hankins 231.675.0582
[email protected]
Annemarie Conway 231.676.0855
[email protected]
Email your flood photos, encourage your neighbors by passing this email along and call and text these commissioners. Attend a Board of Commissioners meeting. They need to hear from us loud and clear. Do not wait!!
Also, the first communication sent to you with guesstimates on cost were speculative only but as soon as we know you will know.
Cherie Hogan
Communications
Six Mile Lake Association