Northport Dam Maintenance On Deck, Future Uncertain

An inspection and at least some repairs of an aging dam in Northport are planned for later this year.

Meanwhile, a decision about the ultimate fate of the structure – including whether it should be removed entirely – isn't likely to come anytime soon. 

The dam, built in 1935, creates Mill Pond on Northport Creek on the west side of the village. The village is in the process of lining up approval from state regulators to facilitate repair work on the dam later this year.

Before this work, which will probably happen in the summer, planners will figure out the best way to get access to parts of the dam that are normally underwater.

“It won’t necessarily require drawing down the level of the pond,” Village Manager Jered Ottenwess tells The Ticker. “One of the options for isolating the dam structure is to install a temporary coffer dam. That would be one method we could use…to keep the dam area dry.”

A comprehensive study by GEI Consultants in 2023 determined that the dam is still functioning as intended, but noted “multiple deficiencies” with the structure, including deteriorating concrete and other problems. The study presented options that included replacing the dam or removing it entirely.

“One of the things that came out of the study that GEI did is that we should be concerned about the condition of the dam,” Ottenwess says. “It's old, and you can't just keep doing repair and maintenance indefinitely.”

Ottenwess says the goal of the upcoming work is to address at least some of the issues identified in the 2023 study. Whether or not to remove or replace the dam needs to be part of a longer, more involved discussion, he says.

“There are people that feel really strongly that that pond needs to be kept in its current condition and that it has to stay there, and there’s also people that feel very strongly that it should be removed and that we should return the creek to a more natural, pre-settlement state,” Ottenwess says. “So it’s something we need to be very deliberate about.”

The pond is a recreational site for many residents. It’s stocked with trout annually for a small fishing tournament, but according to the GEI report does not maintain a stable fish population throughout the rest of the year. Others use the pond for birdwatching, picnicking or various additional outdoor pursuits.

Leelanau Forum is a group “dedicated to promoting preservation of land and natural resources of Northport Village and the surrounding area through effective planning, managed growth and informed citizenry.” The group has become a vocal advocate for the dam’s removal, taking out two full-page ads in the Leelanau Enterprise earlier this year calling for this action.

“We’re trying to create awareness for the public of the problem of that creek being severely impaired by an obsolete dam and that there's government funding to remove it and restore the creek,” group president David Brigham tells The Ticker.

From an ecological standpoint, the health of Northport Creek would be exponentially better without the dam, Brigham says.

“I’m the voice for the creek,” he says. “If the creek had a voice, what would it say?”

Ottenwess acknowledges there is considerable public funding and momentum that supports dam removal across the state. But money isn’t everything, he said, and he reiterated his desire to have a thoughtful conversation with local stakeholders about the dam’s future.

“It’s such a complicated, difficult, long-term question that involves a huge amount of resources, and people are really emotionally invested in the issue on both sides,” he says. “I want to make sure that when we start having detailed discussions that we're really well prepared to do that.”

He also believes it doesn’t make sense to look at the dam in a vacuum.

"I think it would be most useful if we could tie this discussion into a broader discussion that's related to our capital improvement planning," he says. "That's really where it belongs, because we have so many different priorities when it comes to our water system, sewer system, stormwater management, the marina, and I want to take all of those into consideration.”

“If we're able to do that this year, that would be great, but it's hard to say,” Ottenwess continues. “The dam is functioning okay today. We anticipate it will continue to, including after we do some maintenance and repairs on it. It's not something that has to be decided right now.”