Tributary of the Boardman/Ottaway River Set for Double Dam Removal

Aug 6, 2024

Project Highlights

Project Type

Dam Removal and Stream Restoration

River Miles Connected

Two miles of cold-water habitat

Location of Project

Grand Traverse County

Wildlife to be Benefited

Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Blacknose Dace, Brook Stickleback, and aquatic macroinvertebrates

Dam #1

Dam #2

Project Overview

CRA and project partners are removing two inactive and partially failed dams from Apple Creek, a tributary to the Boardman/Ottaway River in Grand Traverse County.

Located just south of Traverse City, the dams were built approximately 70 years ago on private property. Initially, the dams and their impoundments were constructed to raise furbearers for the commercial fur market. Ownership changed hands, and the new owner repurposed the impoundments as a private trout fishery. Currently, the dams are owned by a condominium association and a family. Both parties have agreed to fully remove the structures and restore the stream channel through the former impoundments.

An Emergency Fix

In 2022, the water level control structures at both dams became plugged, causing the impoundments to overtop and breaches to develop. Fortunately, catastrophic failure was averted through immediate action by CRA, which assisted the landowners in coordinating emergency drawdown actions with a local contractor, Elmer’s. After drawing down the impoundments with diesel engine pumps, CRA contractor Tom Knoop cleared the water level control structures and adjusted the flashboards to allow additional water to exit.

Photo One: Both dams and consequential impoundments wreaking havoc on Apple Creek.

A Lay of the Land

Despite the interim solution, dam #1 (the uppermost dam) still requires significant attention to prevent total failure. This 15-foot-high barrier holds a pond roughly an acre in size, with muck depths ranging from 4 to 12 feet. The second dam, located a few yards downstream, is approximately 12 feet high and impounds another half-acre pond. Once both dams are removed, about a third of a mile of Apple Creek will be restored and reconnected, linking a mile upstream to a mile downstream, plus an additional 8 miles of the Boardman’s mainstem.

Photo Two: Dam #1 is pictured in a dilapidated state.

Photo Three: Project Manager, Nate Winkler, stands on dam #1 and investigates the interim action taken in 2022.

Photo Four: Erosion is prevalent at dam #1.

Photo Five: Dam #2 impounds another small pond just downstream.

Photo Six: Brown Trout trapped in the impoundment just above dam #2.

Photo Seven: Just below dam #2, Apple Creek continues its journey to the mainstem of the Boardman/Ottaway River.

Project Status

As of summer 2024, CRA has assisted the landowners in hiring an engineering firm to design the project. Survey and geomorphic data have been acquired by Barr Engineering, with the design currently at the 30% level. A 60% design is expected by August. In summer 2023, CRA biologists electrofished upstream and downstream of the dams to assess fish community composition, observing Brook, Brown, and a single Rainbow trout, as well as Blacknose Dace and Brook Stickleback. Permit applications are anticipated by the end of 2024, with construction potentially beginning in 2025.

Projects like this are not possible without the help of our funders and partners. We’d like to send a special thank you to:

Partners

Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | National Fish and Wildlife Foundation | Barr Engineering

Funders

This project is made possible through the America the Beautiful Challenge Grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, with support from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.