Attached is the full transcript of hearing on August 1, 2016 addressing the revised assessment role for the Miner Lake Dam project. This copy was purchased by Miner Lake Association and is available to members for review.
It details the concerns raised by residents and the answers provided by the Drain Commissioner, her attorney and hired engineers.
Transcript: 080116 Allegan Drain Miner Lake
Please review and comment.
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Whew! a 78 page document! I grazed over part of it so maybe the answers to these questions are already in that document and I’m new to the topic (and the lake), but I just have two quick comments… is the road going to be built for the construction and maintenance vehicles only? If that’s the case, then could the project instead be approached from the water side? like by one of those seawall barges? Or maybe that’s a stupid thought? and then my other stupid thought is… could an entirely new location be created for a dam that could make it considerably less expensive to construct? Also… curious what would happen if we just “do nothing”? I’ve been to it in my kayak and, I mean, i’m definitely no engineer, but it doesn’t appear to look in ill-repair and I’m trying to think of the worst-case scenario? tx!
Andy –
Thanks for the questions, I’ll try to respond the best I can.
The issue of accessing the dam is a contentious one and I addressed some of it in an article posted earlier (https://minerlake.com/?p=1260). The short of it is that the Drain Commissioner has a responsibility to access and service the dam, but years ago, the office released the official easement and have been relying on verbal permission from current owners to have service access. The Drain Commissioner does not feel this is sufficient to complete the construction and pursued the renewed easement and the installation of an access road. So yes, they plan to build the road for use during construction and as the means for service access to follow.
Of note, the residents have offered temporary construction easement, provided the land is restored afterward, but this offer was not accepted.
As for completing the repairs by water access, that is also a contested issue. I will again refer you to the previous article for pictures and diagrams. But given that the repairs are to both the metal sheeting (at face of the dam) as well as the metal tubes further back, the barge option is limiting. Additionally, the water is quite shallow in that area. Finally, from the perspective of the Drain Commissioner, it still does not solve the ongoing access issue (despite the accommodations offered by our residents).
As for a relocation of the dam, I do not believe that has been considered. Mostly because the effort, cost, permitting and regulatory issues would likely dwarf the current cost. Plus, the current site is where Miner Creek naturally begins.
For your final question regarding the underlying need, again please refer the “Details about Miner Lake dam” article.
Thanks!