Nearby residents are concerned about the removal of the Calkins Bridge Dam on the Kalamazoo River. Consumers Energy's license expires in 2034, but have started to evaluate the license, which the Lake Allegan Association plans to extend for the future. (Philip Gawel/WWMT)
ALLEGAN, Mich. — The Lake Allegan Association was created for those who love Allegan lake.
More than 350 members help preserve the Calkins Bridge Dam on the Kalamazoo River in Allegan, and they also may see the elimination of Lake Allegan.
Consumers Energy's federal hydro operating licenses expire starting in 2034. The company has begun evaluating its long-range hydro strategy that would affect thirteen dams statewide. One outcome being considered for each dam is to not renew the license, which the company said could lead to dam removal.
"Lakeside home values would plummet, reducing tax revenues that support schools and community needs," President of the Lake Allegan Association, Coco Soodek said. "Businesses sustained by the vibrant Lake Allegan community would suffer, and lake recreation as we know it today would disappear."
The goal of the association is to demonstrate to Consumers Energy that the stakes are too high to consider dam removal.
"If the lake were drained, the process would almost certainly be more extensive and more expensive," said Purdue University Professor Emeritus Bill Chaney.
A meeting of the Board of the Lake Allegan Association is expected Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m. The board's agenda for the meeting includes commentary from local affected businesses and residents.
The Great Lakes Engineering Group provides underwater bridge inspection services for federal, state, and local agencies.