Commission should petition court to lower dam level

To the Editor,The Drain Commission said we, along with others on Tonneberger Drive, owe $600-plus interest to pay for the completed repair of the Red Mill Pond dam gates, and this would prevent flooding of our property. It has not stopped flooding of our property!The storm on the weekend of June 7 caused the River Raisin to flood our property. The level at the dam during heights of storm reached about seven inches above the summer level. During the storm, when a three-inch board was removed, it took about 24 hours for the level to drop three inches. During the following week, a friend that lives on Red Mill Pond said the water level had covered their dock.The June 24 storm flooded our property a second time. The Drain Commission said they had lowered the gates, but was limited because of downstream dams that would be affected. The level at the dam reached eight or nine inches above the summer level. I have pictures to show the River Raisin flooding our property.On June 28, storm waters flooded our property a third time. The Drain Commission said they had lowered three gates 24 inches at Red Mill Pond dam, and the high water level was about 11 inches over the summer level. Did the volume of water released by dropping the three gates 24 inches cause any of the problems in Blissfield?If the summer level was set 12 inches lower, when a storm comes, the Drain Commission could lower the gates six or nine inches without affecting downstream areas, the docks on Red Mill Pond would not get flooded, and our property would not be flooded. The Drain Commissioner Steve May told a Tecumseh Herald reporter, in reference to us, “There will be days that it will affect his property, sure.” That is only true if the Red Mill Pond Dam exists, or the summer level is set too high.In a letter to the Drain Commission, I have requested that they petition the court to lower the summer level at the Red Mill Pond dam by 12 inches. The lower level could cause no harm for anyone affected by the dam. Being flooded three times in a month is preventable!Samuel W. CraigTecumseh

Tecumseh Herald

 

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