BARRY COUNTY, Mich. - Relief is finally coming for people living on Crooked Lake. Months after lake levels rose, flooding their homes, pumps are now at work to get those levels back to normal.
The pumps started Wednesday, but as of Friday morning, the drain commissioner says things are going as planned, pulling water from Crooked Lake and putting it into nearby wetlands.
For once, it's good news for Barry County Drain Commissioner Jim Dull.
“It was working. It was like, sweet. Nothing caved in, nothing quit, nothing that we didn’t anticipate happened, it was just phenomenal,” Dull said.
The high-powered pump being used to move that excess water can move 6,000 gallons a minute. But, in order to lower the lake six inches, which is the goal, millions of gallons of water need to be moved into the wetlands.
Homeowners should see relief shortly.
“If things worked great, they would be able to stop pumping water off their front yards in about 2 weeks,” Dull said.
However, this isn't a permanent solution. The wetlands will need to return to original levels before this winter, because the Michigan Department of Transportation doesn't want the higher water levels to damage a culvert.
Dull says they're considering all options for a permanent solution for as to where the water can go. A couple area lakes have already turned them down, saying they don't want the water. Other options include moving the water to the Delton drain, or possibly a gravel pit. But in the meantime, Dull says it's important to get the water out of the people who live on the lake's homes.
