Michigan Lake George board approves assessments for critical dam reconstruction
Branch County commissioners are expected to approve today a $200-a-year assessment for 21 years on 202 parcel owners on the Michigan side of Lake George for their share of the lake dam reconstruction.
Drain commissioner Mike Hard recommended the work and assessment after a public hearing on Saturday morning. The new levy will appear on winter tax bills.
In 2020, Kinderhook Township and the county acted to establish a "legal lake level" board for 40% of Lake George in Michigan, creating the legal entity to complete repairs and assessments to pay for the project.
In 2018, the Indiana side created the Lake George Conservancy to spearhead the project and provide taxing authority for Indiana owners.
An interstate agreement approved by both states allows them to work together.
Prior story Michigan court approves another step toward repair of Lake George dam
Conservancy board chairman John Ranshaw said that with Branch County approval, work could start in June and be completed by September. The work won't disturb lake use, but the road across the dam could be closed.
While there is no immediate danger, the Lake George dam, owned by the Lake George Cottagers Association, is the only dam rated high hazard by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Indiana.
History of the Lake George Dam project
Indiana court decisions in 2007-08 ruled that adjacent property owners and not the state were responsible for the costs of maintaining the lake dams in Indiana.
In 2008, Lake George residents began working to make repairs on the concrete dam initially built in 1927, replacing a dam that powered a mill that existed before 1900.
The 1927 dam raised water levels and created a 509-acre recreational lake.
A design by the Indianapolis Patriot Engineering firm hired in 2022 estimated repair costs at $900,000 for the engineering, reducing the slope of the embankment at the dam, enlarging the spillway walls, creating a pool at the end of the spillway, and putting rocks along the exit creek banks.
In 2022, the Steuben County Indiana Board of Commissioners approved a $1 million 2% loan to the Conservancy from funds from the sale of the Indiana I-80/90 Toll Road for the project.
By 2023, the cost of concrete and steel rose, jumping construction estimates to over $1.3 million.
In May 2023, Steuben commissioners agreed to raise the loan to $1.5 million.
Conservancy trustee Rex Melchi estimated that the 2% county loan would save $1 million in bond financing costs. At current interest rates, the additional costs would increase parcel assessments by another $100 a month.
To those complaining about the added taxes, Ranshaw said, "Property value would be severely affected if that lake were to disappear one night."
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources reviewed the project over 10 months. The Conservancy received approval on Jan. 19 of this year.
Ranshaw said the million-dollar-plus replacement of the small concrete dam might seem high. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is concerned about "the earthen wall that holds Lake George back. If it were to fail, we'd all have mud for our front yards," he said.
Hard said, Michigan now receives more storms and heavier rains, putting the steep earthen sides of the dam at greater risk.
A lesson in Michigan
Michigan lake board attorney Kyle O'Meara added that after the collapse of Edenville near Midland in May 2020, that replacement cost is $350 million.
Those lakeside homeowners expect to be assessed $40,000 a year for 40 years to pay half the replacement costs. Property values on those lakes crashed.
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According to a Detroit Free Press report last November, forensic engineers told the state the Edenville dam break was preventable if the dam had been maintained.
— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Critical Lake George dam improvements start this summer in two states
