Welcome
Antrim County Issues and Resources Page
If you have an issue you'd like us to feature here or would like your organization listed as a resource, please contact Grenetta Thomassey via email at grenetta@watershedcouncil.org or call 231-347-1181.
ANTRIM COUNTY ISSUES
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ERCOL WPIT (Elk River Chain of Lakes Watershed Plan Implementation Team):
The Watershed Center of Grand Traverse Bay ( http://www.gtbay.org/ ) is implementing a DEQ and EPA approved Watershed Management Plan for the Bay. Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council teamed up with The Watershed Center on sections of the plan involving the Elk River Chain of Lakes (ERCOL) to create a Watershed Plan Implementation Team (WPIT), and the first meeting of ERCOL WPIT was held in November 2010. Terrific progress was made in the year following, so a Local Government Meeting was held in November 2011 to showcase the plan, as the participation of local public officials is crucial to its implementation. ERCOL WPIT is taking part in major projects of the plan, which are discussed below.
- There is a proposal for the sinking of wooden structures to create fish habitat in Elk Lake, Clam Lake, Torch Lake, Intermediate Lake, and to improve the recreational fishery of the lakes. Click here to download a brochure to learn more about the fish shelter project and how you can get involved.
- A study is being done on the Rapid and Grass Rivers to identify sources of sedimentation and nutrients that are causing water quality and navigability problems. A hydrologic model was made called the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), which turned up data about the amount of sediments and nutrients (such as organic nitrogen and phosphorus) that come from different sub-basins around these river systems. The model suggests that much of the sedimentation comes a handful of sub-basins in each watershed that have higher percentages of agricultural and urban/residential land cover.
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Update: Wetland destruction at Elk Rapids Preserve (The Cottages of Elk Rapids) and Capa Bran :
Though an issue that started nearly a decade ago, the wetlands destroyed by the Elk Rapids Preserve development have still not been restored to their former state. The development was ordered by the Army Corps of Engineers to restore the wetlands in 2009. However, restoration done to the wetlands filled in by the Elk Rapids preserve was determined to be not satisfactory by the Corps. It never formed the intended wetlands because the elevation of the ground was too high, and colonies of invasive Reed Canary Grass had not been treated. The adjustment to the elevation and the treatment of the Reed Canary Grass will hopefully begin this spring.
Similarly, conflicts have been going on for many years with the wetland-destroying Capa Bran Estates. Capa Bran was ordered by the Corps to restore 2 acres of wetlands on their development, but appealed in 2007 after the Rapanos-Carabel Supreme Court decisions. The Corps made a compromise and there is a new Corps permit. It is still not certain whether the wetlands will get restored or if the order will get appealed. This is one of the few Clean Water Act enforcement actions currently on-going in Northern Michigan, and a very important site. If you have any additional questions, please contact the local expert on the site, Mr. Greg Reisig, at gazingnorth@hotmail.com, or call 231-264-8396.
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Pharmaceuticals in Water Supplies:
This difficult issue is being addressed by Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council in partnership with many others across our 4-county service area. In Antrim County, the following pharmacies participate in the Yellow Jug Old Drugs program:
Bellaire Pharmacy 231-533-8014
Central Lake Pharmacy 231-544-2929
Corner Druggist, Elk Rapids 231-264-8033
Controlled substances including drugs such as amphetamines, narcotics, and codeine are NOT accepted at these pharmacies. For more information about the Yellow Jug Old Drugs program, visit http://www.greatlakescleanwater.org/
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The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Application to Continue to Operate the Elk Rapids Dam as a Hydroelectric Facility:
The current license to run the Elk Rapids Dam is set to expire in 2014. Antrim County submitted an application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to continue to operate the Elk Rapids Dam in 2009, and there were two public hearings in April 2010 on the issue. The FERC relicensing process is ongoing, and the application is currently being circulated to other federal agencies for comment. As of now, the process is going status quo. For further information on this issue, feel free to contact Antrim County Drain Commissioner Mark Stone at damkeeper@antrimcounty.org or 231-264-6800. Below is an article about why we support the continued operation of the Elk Rapids Dam:
Background and Why This is Good for the Elk River Chain of Lakes
by Dean Ginther Past Elk-Skegemog Lakes President
For nearly 150 years, there has been a series of impoundments at the terminus of the vast Elk River Chain-of-Lakes. The original intent of these impoundments was to produce power for local industry and residents and to help create navigable waterways, particularly on Elk and Torch Rivers. Since the mid-1800’s, these dams have largely defined the shoreline boundaries of Elk Lake, Lake Skegemog, Elk River, Torch River, and to a less significant effect, Torch Lake.
The current dam in Elk Rapids (the ER Dam) was constructed in 1916 and has been operated as a power producing hydroelectric facility for many decades, supplying power to Elk Rapids and environs. In 1999, Antrim County, who was bequeathed ownership of the ER Dam from its former public utility owner, decided to get out of the power producing business and decommission the dam as soon as possible due to high operating and maintenance costs. The County would continue to be responsible for maintaining the legally mandated lake levels in Elk Lake but the dam would no longer be operated or maintained for the production of electric power.
The decision by Antrim County to no longer operate the ER Dam to produce power has since has been reconsidered, for a variety of reasons. Without a dedicated operator, the maintenance of the ER Dam was likely to be given low priority by the County. With the County’s potential withdrawal, it became clear to many that the continued upkeep and operation of the ER Dam was crucial to:
- providing the local area with needed low impact (“green”) power production;
- maintaining the integrity of the ecology of the Chain of Lakes;
- providing a barrier to invasive species from Lake Michigan;
- preserving the existing shorelines and property values for the many riparians living along or near the shores of the Chain of Lakes;
- conforming to the legal requirements for controlled lake levels in Elk Lake
Fortunately, a few years ago, a private operator, Elk Rapids Hydroelectric Power, LLC was found who entered into an agreement with the County to continue to operate and maintain the Dam. Unfortunately, the governmental approval from FERC to operate the dam as a power producing facility will terminate in 2014.
After considerable discussion, public comment, and review, Antrim County decided to submit an application to FERC to apply for continued approval to operate the ER Dam as a power producing facility. This decision has been unanimously supported by a coalition of local environmental organizations, including the Elk-Skegemog Lakes Association. A 400 page pre-application document was recently submitted to FERC and is currently available for downloading and review at:
http://elibrary.ferc.gov:80/idmws/file_list.asp?accession_num=20091224-5025
To obtain feedback on this application, FERC scheduled two public hearings for the general public and stakeholders in April 2010, along with a time period for written comments.
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The Grand Vision Update:
there is a lot of excitement around Grand Traverse Bay for The Grand Vision. This is a citizen-led land use and transportation study that will provide a framework for the next 50+ years of development in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau and Wexford counties. You are invited to use their web site to learn more about the project and how you can get involved.