OSTEGO, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is nearly done removing a century-old dam to return the Kalamazoo River to its natural state.
Field Operations Manager Mark Mills tells the Kalamazoo Gazette that the department is set to complete the Otsego Township Dam removal and the area’s restoration within the next six months. The dam hasn’t produced power for decades.
The Environmental Protection Agency included the dam’s removal in its cleanup of contaminated sediment at a Superfund site. The state agency’s work complements the EPA cleanup, including removing structures near the dam.
Mills says the department is close to returning the location to its natural state, though the banks will be slightly higher than in the past.
Mills expects the high level of activity at the site to end by October.
