
Michigan Attorney General Issues Statement On Infamous Barge And Its Removal From Leelanau County Shoreline
By Craig Manning | July 4, 2025
The barge is gone.
A fixture on the side of M-22 near Suttons Bay since October 2023, the derelict orange-and-blue barge has become nothing short of infamous in northern Michigan in recent years. Now, the story has (seemingly) drawn to a close, thanks to a new owner who had the barge hauled away from its long-time resting spot late last month.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel confirmed the resolution of the barge saga in a press release sent to statewide media on Thursday.
“A twice-sunken Lake Michigan barge that raised environmental concerns has now been relocated to a legal location, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel,” the press release states. “On Monday, June 23, 2025, the barge was moved to a legal location in West Grand Traverse Bay. Over the past week, the barge has been partially dismantled and is no longer on state-owned Lake Michigan bottomlands.”
The barge was long owned by Donald Balcom, 90, of Traverse City, who previously used it for his business, Balcom Marine Contractors. It had become notorious in northern Michigan over the past five years, starting with a November 2020 incident that saw it sink to the bottom of Lake Michigan near Greilickkville, releasing oil into the water. It was refloated in May 2021, and moved shortly thereafter to a new site in Northport Bay, where it sank again In January 2022. It wasn’t until August 2023 that the barge was hauled away from that site, moving instead to a spot off the shores of Suttons Bay. It was pulled ashore in October of that same year, and had been visible off M-22 not far south of Fort Road ever since.
Also in 2023, the Attorney General’s office charged Balcom with seven different criminal counts, including a felony for violating Michigan’s water protection laws. Other charges included misdemeanors for trespassing, altering Lake Michigan bottomlands, littering, and failing to post contact information for himself or his business on the hull of the barge. Balcom pled guilty to the felony charge last April, described in Nessel’s press release as “a two-year felony.”
“Under a deferred sentencing agreement, Balcom was given until June 27, 2025, to relocate the barge to a legal location, which would convert his felony conviction to one count of Watercraft Pollution – Littering from Vessel, a 92-day misdemeanor,” the release notes. The barge’s removal on June 23 just narrowly met that particular timing requirement, but means Balcom is now entitled to the reduced sentence. “The Court has yet to issue an amended judgment of sentence,” the release concludes.
“After years of environmental concerns and legal proceedings, I am pleased the barge has finally been moved and to announce the resolution of this case,” Nessel said. “We have made it abundantly clear that the bay cannot be treated as a personal junkyard. My department remains committed to working with the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to protect the Great Lakes whenever they come under threat.”
CommentMichigan Attorney General Issues Statement On Infamous Barge And Its Removal From Leelanau County Shoreline
The barge is gone.
A fixture on the side of M-22 near Suttons Bay since October 2023, …
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