Flat Rock council opposes removal of Flat Rock Dam, urges fish-passage improvements

Flat Rock City Council voted to approve a resolution opposing removal of the Flat Rock and Hurok dams and recommending Alternative 1 — no removal, with fish-passage improvements — after discussion of a federally funded feasibility study. The council passed the resolution by voice vote and instructed staff to send the resolution to neighboring communities and every member of the Huron Clinton Metropolitan Authority (HCMA) board ahead of that board’s August 14 meeting.

City Attorney Zick summarized the study and the options for council, saying the Flat Rock Dam is owned by the Huron Clinton Metropolitan Authority while the Hurok Dam is owned by the city of Flat Rock. The study was prepared for HCMA by GEI Consultants Inc. and funded with federal support via the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), Zick said.

The study presented four alternatives: (1) no action on the dams with fish-passage improvements; (2) partial removal of the Flat Rock and Hurok dams; (3) full removal with active restoration; and (4) full removal with passive restoration. The resolution approved by Flat Rock’s council endorses Alternative 1 and states the city opposes removal of the Flat Rock and Hurok dams. The council also plans to distribute the resolution to HCMA board members and neighboring communities so Flat Rock’s position is part of the record before HCMA’s vote.

Council members raised procedural and substantive concerns about the study process. Several members said they had not been invited to participate in meetings during the study and questioned whether the study reflected local input. Councilors noted that even if HCMA chose a removal alternative, any actual removal would require separate funding — council members said the estimated construction and restoration cost could be tens of millions of dollars and would require additional grant applications and approvals.

Council members and staff emphasized that the HCMA board, not the city, is the final decision-maker for the HCMA-owned dam; Flat Rock’s resolution is intended to register the city’s formal position before HCMA’s board takes action. City officials encouraged residents to watch the HCMA meeting (to be held at Lake St. Clair Metropark and available online) and to submit comments to the HCMA board prior to its vote.

The resolution text and the study will remain part of the public record as the next steps move forward: HCMA’s board decision on August 14 and any subsequent project funding or design phase that would follow a removal alternative.