Posted on March 4, 2021
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The company that owns the Morrow Dam has begun the process of removing sediment build up in the Kalamazoo River.
An excavator and other dredging equipment was brought into South Wenke Park in Comstock Monday, March 1, 2021, to begin the six-week process of removing sediment from an bend in the Kalamazoo River. Crews on scene said it would be about a week before any dredging or sediment removal from the oxbow gets underway.
Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, which owns the dam, estimates about 3,000 cubic yards of sediment were expected to be removed.
“It’s easy to feel angry but mostly I just feel sad,” said Devin Bloom, a fish biologist and ecologist at Western Michigan University. “I see that lots of people and the ecosystem itself have suffered.”
Bloom said he enjoys spending time fishing, boating and paddling on the Kalamazoo River, but it has seen devastating effects from sediment flow.
- Morrow Dam: Sediment flowing from the dam threatened ecological disaster for the Kalamazoo River
A report from AECOM, a consulting firm hired by Eagle Creek, estimated there was at least 114,000 cubic yards of sediment buildup in the first seven miles downstream of the dam.
State officials say that estimate is likely low because AECOM didn’t measure deposits less than one foot deep.
Some sediment deposits are about half a mile long reaching almost 12 feet deep.
“It’s hard to imagine 12 feet of mud covering up downtown Kalamazoo,” Bloom said. “It would be a little hard for people to move around. That’s what some of the wildlife is dealing with in the river.”
Between October 2019 and December 2020, sediment built up in Morrow Lake for decades flowed through open spillway gates and into the river.
- Morrow Lake: A sunken 1967 Chevrolet Impala was pulled from the bottom of the lake after the drawdown
The gates were opened after the dam’s owner, Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, said an inspection prompted an emergency drawdown of lake levels.
For more than a year they sat open, water and sediments running through.
“This is one of the worst environmental disasters I’ve ever witnessed,” Bloom said. “This is going to have a pretty devastating effect and it’s going to take quite a bit of time to recover. To damage the river channel to that extent is something I’ve never seen before.”
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has sent multiple notices of violation to Eagle Creek about the sediment flowing from the dam.
- Violations: EGLE and the EPA met with the Morrow Dam owner about the sediment buildup in the Kalamazoo River
Last month EGLE sent a letter urging the company to start the sediment removal by March 1.
“Safety and environmental stewardship are the top priorities for everyone at Morrow Dam,” said David Fox, Director of Licensing and Compliance for Eagle Creek. “The decision to draw down Morrow Lake was made solely in the interest of public safety and the replacement of the spillway gates was an important investment in the safety and long-term reliability of Michigan’s critical energy infrastructure. With the gate replacement now complete, we are fully focused on continuing to work with EGLE to address downstream sediment concerns. The start of dredging activities is an important milestone for us.”
An EGLE official said they’re working Eagle Creek to remove other sediment deposits throughout the river, adding they’re working on a settlement.
