Indian Lakes Dredging Project

 

Questions About The Proposed Dredging Project

 

1. How big of an area do we want to dredge?     50 feet wide by 200 feet out from the shoreline.
 
2. What is the purpose of dredging?     The bottom is soft with peat and the area is not safe for swimming and general waterfront usage.It isn't even practical to put in a dock.
 
3. Who has studied the lake and the application to see if dredging would cause any problems?     University of Michigan Professor John Lehman, the foremost Limnologist (Expert on lakes and their ecosystems) in the State of Michigan. Dr. Lehman is an acknowledged expert with an international reputation.
 
4. Will this dredging cause pollution or silt in the lake?    No. This is an area of great confusion to the Missaukee Lake Association. Many years ago massive dredging occurred on the north shore of Lake Missaukee where the bottom was dug up with a drag line and a bucket. It is reported that silt dispersed throughout the lake as a result of this digging. We are proposing to hydraulically dredge a small area of peat without disturbing the hard bottom. Hydraulic dredging sucks material much like a household vacuum does. No silt or other contamination would be spread into the lake. Professor Lehman has tested the materials to be dredged in his laboratory and testified that no silting or other contamination of the lake would result from this project.
 
5. Would this dredging damage anything in the lake or in what the Association calls this "environmentally sensitive area"?     No. Professor Lehman has concluded as a result of his studies that there would be no adverse effects to the lake or the ecosystem. He concluded that one year after the dredging, it would be impossible to measure any differences in the lake or the ecosystem caused by the dredging.
 
6. Does the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality support the Missaukee Lake Association's position?     No. The DEQ has stated in writing and testified under oath that the proposed project is fully permittable and that a permit would have been issued if the owner had given his offshore property rights to the DEQ in exchange. Every property owner in Michigan should be concerned about this attempt to extort private property rights by the government.
 
7. Where can I verify these claims and learn more?     The entire record from the DEQ hearing held in Lansing is on this website. You can read the whole thing or do a key word search to find answers to your questions.

       

Hearing Volume I

Hearing Volume II

Hearing Volume III

Hearing Volume IV

Hearing Volume V