DNR says Reedsburg stop‑logs removed; recommends joint engineering study as Houghton Lake levels raise flooding concerns
The Department of Natural Resources told the Roscommon County board it removed stop logs at Reedsburg Dam in late March to increase discharge capacity and recommended reopening a 1954/2010 line‑of‑inquiry into river-channel pinch points; residents at the meeting said the county's operations manual raised lake levels and worsened flooding.
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The Michigan Department of Natural Resources told the Roscommon County Board of Commissioners on April 8 that it removed stop logs at the Reedsburg Dam on March 20—three stop logs in each bay—adding about 18 inches of discharge capability, then monitored levels as runoff and rain events followed. Dave Lamine, regional manager for the DNR wildlife division, said gauges show Reedsburg crested near 1,137 feet and is beginning to recede; he also cited older hydraulic studies (1954, 2010) that identified downstream river-channel restrictions as limiting how effectively Houghton Lake’s control structure can discharge floodwater.
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