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Politics & Government

UPDATE: Paint Creek Dam Awaits Approval for Removal

A proposal to remove the Paint Creek Dam is still under consideration.

The in Oakland Township isn’t scheduled to be demolished ... yet.

Recent reports from other local media outlets that the dam is definitely going to be removed are premature, as both the Clinton River Watershed Council and the Oakland Township Board of Trustees have yet to come to an agreement as to whether the dam stays or goes.

A proposal from the Clinton River Watershed Council to remove the Paint Creek Dam is still under consideration and awaiting a final report from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), results from an engineering study, and approval from the Oakland Township Board of Trustees.

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Removing the dam

The Paint Creek flows southeast from Brandon Township through Oakland Township to Rochester, where it meets the Clinton River. The Paint Creek Dam sits upstream from the on Orion Road.

The Clinton River Watershed Council and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (MDNRE) have stated that the dam should be removed for safety reasons and to protect the creek’s fish and wildlife habitats.

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In January 2010, the township Board of Trustees agreed to let the Clinton River Watershed Council apply for a $700,000 federal grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to study and perhaps remove the dam at no expense to the township. The grant was awarded in late 2010.

Since then, the Clinton River Watershed Council has hired consulting engineers Hubbell, Roth and Clark to conduct several surveys and studies to determine if, how and when the dam should be removed.

In March 2010, Dan Keifer, now a former staff member of the Clinton River Watershed Council, told Patch the proposal is a “win-win-win,” citing concerns over the safety and reliability of a dam that is nearly 60 years old, animal habitat preservation, and zero financial commitment from the township as reasons that the dam should be removed soon. The proposal is also in line with a current national movement to remove dams to protect river and creek attributes that help sustain fish and wildlife living along creeks and rivers.

“Dams are the source of a lot of ecological impairment,” Keifer told Patch in March. “Connectivity is important to rivers and streams so all kinds of critters who use the water can move up and down for food, spawning and different habitats. Dams obviously block that,” he said.

“Removing them has become a top priority around the country and in Michigan. They no longer serve a functional purpose.”

Anne Vaara, executive director of the Clinton River Watershed Council, told the township board of trustees at a public meeting in March that, according to the MDNRE, the Paint Creek Dam is impeding the natural features of the creek and needs to be removed.

Residents concerned about the millrace

Local historic preservation supporters and those who live along Paint Creek, however, don’t want the dam removed and remain skeptical about the proposal, fearing that the removal of the dam will cause the millrace to dry up. The impending report from SHPO will determine if the millrace’s historic designation can be retained, while the results of an ongoing engineering study will help settle disagreements over whether the millrace will dry up if the dam is removed.

A dry millrace would no longer be a beautiful township attribute or a scenic backyard water feature, and its designation as a historic site would be in jeopardy.

“I am concerned, like everyone else, that when the water level drops, the water in the millrace will dry up,” said Barb Barber, a preservation planner with the township’s Historic District Commission. The millrace is part of Oakland Township history and was celebrated in 2002 with a Michigan Historical Marker.

“I am looking forward to the engineering study,” she continued, “and the SHPO report so the homeowners can be assured the scenic little creeks in their backyard will remain.”

Tom Asmus, a township resident and a member of the Oakland Township Historical Society, said that while he doesn’t live near the millrace, he was asked by the historical society as well as by those who live near the millrace to represent their views and concerns to the public.

"It’s actually a no-brainer,” said Asmus, "that if the dam goes, the millrace will be a dry ditch. I’m not against dam removal, but ... the argument can be made that underwater creatures can navigate up and down stream with the dam.”

Asmus believes the whole issue is being studied far too long.

"At a time like this, I’m amazed that we will spend this much money on studies and such," he said. "As a federal tax payer, I’m offended by the fact that we are spending money like this. ... It’s all about getting grants.”

Asmus also expressed concern about creating an unhappy neighborhood around the millrace.

“One has to consider all of the factors,” he said. “If you’re just concerned with underwater life, then take it out, but consider all of the factors. The Lake Orion dam ... violates nature, but (there are) elegant residences there.”

He went on to say that if the dam is removed and the sediment around it is allowed to flow downstream, it could also “create unhappiness among people who live along the Clinton River.”

The Clinton River Watershed Council couldn’t be reached for comment for this update.

For now, the Paint Creek Dam is intact and awaiting its destiny, which may be handed down in the next few weeks or even months.

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