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DNR: Reedsburg pinch-points, removed stop logs tied to high Houghton Lake levels; county urged to study river channel
Summary
DNR officials told the Roscommon County board that riverbed pinch-points and the March removal of three stop logs increased Houghton Lake's discharge capacity but did not fully explain the high water. DNR recommended short-term MOU review and a proposed $100,000 joint study of river widths and depths.
The Roscommon County Board of Commissioners heard a report April 8 from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources on unusually high water at Houghton Lake and nearby channels. DNR Northern Michigan Region Wildlife Division manager Dave Lemmien told the board the lake is well above summer levels and regional river pinch-points limit outflow.
Lemmien said historical studies do not show Reedsburg directly raising lake level but that local river restrictions reduce discharge capacity. "We pulled three stop logs from Reedsburg which increased water discharge capabilities by 18 inches," Lemmien said, and he noted Reedsburg readings (about 1136.5 on March 20, currently near 1137) compared with Houghton Lake at 1138.11. He also referenced a USGS memorandum of understanding that uses an impoundment reference of 1136.7 and allows seasonal adjustments for wildlife considerations.
The DNR recommended a two-track approach: short-term review of the USGS MOU for operational flexibilities and longer-term joint analysis with the county. Lemmien recommended a roughly $100,000 joint study measuring channel widths and depths from the Lake Level Control Structure (LLCS) to Reedsburg Dam to identify pinch-points and engineering options.
Board members said they would explore collaboration with the county drain commissioner and consider the DNR's funding and study recommendations at a later meeting. The board took no formal vote on study funding during the special meeting.
