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Committee backs establishing legal lake level to restore Stiff’s Mill Pond; residents to fund study
Summary
After residents petitioned, the committee recommended establishing a legal lake level for Stiff’s Mill Pond so the dam can be repaired and the lake restored; presenters said the community will reimburse county study costs, and commissioners voted 5–0 to advance the recommendation.
The committee voted to recommend that the county establish a normal (legal) lake level for Stiff’s Mill Pond after residents petitioned the Water Resource Commissioner for restoration following a DNR drawdown prompted by dam deterioration.
A lake‑level engineer said the petition now contains the required two‑thirds majority of benefiting property owners as required by the Inland Lake Level Act (MCL 324.30703). Officials explained the legal process: a preliminary study defines the benefiting area and boundary for a special assessment district (SAD), after which the court may establish the legal lake level and the SAD to fund repairs. Presenters said the community already has funds set aside and will cover study costs; the statutory allowance for a deposit is up to $10,000 but typical studies average $30,000–$40,000.
Commissioners asked whether restoring the lake would change wetlands and ecology. Staff replied that the lake had been lowered by several feet and that fully removing the dam now would likely convert the area to flowing stream conditions and cause loss of wetlands that formed when the lake existed at its prior elevation; reestablishing the lake would restore those wetland conditions. Commissioner Hoffman and others emphasized the initiative is community driven and that the county will be reimbursed for study and any staff time. The committee voted 5–0 to recommend establishing the normal lake level and proceed with the required study and petition process.
