BRANCH COUNTY — Circuit Judge Ronayne Krause approved a single lake-level special assessment district for the entire Coldwater–Marble Lake chain on June 12, paving the way for future dam maintenance and upgrades.
Drain Commissioner Mike Hard filed the petition to fund future projects for the lake chain. No projects are currently planned.
However, engineer Randy Ramsey of Civil Engineers Inc. testified that the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy may, within the next five years, require additional spillway capacity and structural protections to ensure that the Coldwater and Marble Lake dams can safely handle a 100-year storm event.
Ramsey estimated the costs would be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. “I don’t think we’re talking about millions of dollars.”
The court did not change the long-standing legal lake levels, set in 1960 at 984.5 feet in summer and 983.5 feet in winter above sea level.
According to county drain commission attorney Amanda Knutson, the legal lake levels were set in the 1960s before the state established assessment districts.
Hard noted lake assessment districts were never previously established, while weed control assessments have been managed under a different law for many years.
Ramsey and his staff evaluated the area around the lakes and held hearings to determine who benefits from the lakes.
The order confirms district boundaries covering 2,713 parcels—2,224 direct-waterfront and 489 indirect-access lots—on Coldwater Lake, Long Lake, Mud (Bright) Lake, Bartholomew Lake, Middle (Archer) Lake, and Marble Lake.
All the lakes in the chain are hydrologically connected and controlled by two dams: the Marble Lake Dam to the north and the Coldwater Lake level control structure to the south.
“They’re one unit. They should be assessed as one,” Ramsey said.
Several property owners objected, arguing that county-wide users benefit from the lakes and should share the costs.
Sandra Batters, of the Woodland subdivision near Archer Lake, said the lakes benefit “businesses, public access lots, out-of-town, and out-of-state tourists,” not just lakefront owners.
Pearl Beach resident and attorney Joel S. Rufenacht challenged the process, stating the county should have identified a specific project, costs, and measurable benefits before drawing a district map.
Judge Krause explained she is bound by current Michigan law, which allows courts to confirm district boundaries first and address project costs and individual assessments at a later public hearing.
Hard said there are no current plans for work on the two structures on the Coldwater and Sauk Rivers, which both flow into the north chain of lakes.
When work is planned to benefit the lakes, additional hearings and proceedings will determine who pays and how much.
Contact Don Reid, dReid@USATodayCo.Com
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Marble-Coldwater Lakes owners can now be assessed for dam improvements
Reporting by Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter / Coldwater Daily Reporter
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By Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter | USA TODAY Network
