KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The Kalamazoo River will be lowered this weekend to assist with a dive and recovery operation.
The river’s depth will be lowered by about a foot at around 8 a.m. Saturday morning, according to Kalamazoo County Emergency Management.
"This is actually pretty rare, but it does show the level of cooperation we get from the dam operators when something needs to happen for a situation like this," Kalamazoo County Emergency Management Public Information Officer Andrew Alspach said.
Dive and recovery efforts will be made downstream between Paterson Street and Michigan Avenue, officials say.
This comes days after a suspect jumped into the river in an attempt to flee from public safety officers.
READ MORE: Suspect missing after jumping into Kzoo River to elude arrest
"This is being done to facilitate a recovery operation for the dive teams that are looking for the young man who tragically went underwater after a police chase the other day," Alspach explained.
He adds that you can expect to see several crews out on the Kalamazoo River during this operation.
"Probably drop the level from four and a half feet at Merrill Park and Comstock to three and a half, maybe a foot. And what it does is just gives enough of a reduction in the velocity, the speed of the current and reduction of the depth, to enable the divers to cover more area better," Alspach said.
He added that this will not cause any damage to the river or nearby landscaping.
"This is really a minor, a minor adjustment compared to what what had to happen last time with the gate repair," Alspach explained.
We’re told the river will be raised to normal levels by late Saturday afternoon.
