WHITE CLOUD, Mich. —
Neighbors of Lake White Cloud were concerned when the lake recently drained seemingly overnight. The low water level exposed tree stumps and the bottom.
“I don't know, it's concerning,” resident Michael Woodward said. “I don't know why they wouldn't let us know that that's gonna be happening and, and here we are because of it.”
Michael Woodward and Mozel Dean live right across the street from the lake. They can see it out their window. After a week of seeing crews working out there, they noticed the water level going down.
“We look to our left, and you can literally see tree stumps standing out of the ground in the middle of the water where the water should be,” Woodward said. “And I'm sure that's exceeding what the water should be in the first place, because it goes way over the tree stumps. And the tree stumps are like four feet tall.”
It was concerning for Woodward and Dean, who are used to seeing the lake full. They said there was no notice given to residents as to why the lake was drained.
“But [the city hasn't] given us no flyers. They haven't said anything. And it is a little concerning,” Woodward said.
The lake has been drained before, but Woodward and Dean said not to this level. But luckily, the loss of water isn’t a safety concern.
Luke Trumble, with the EGLE Dam Safety Unit, said in a statement to 13 ON YOUR SIDE that the lowering of the water was completed to do dam repairs. The repairs were supported by the EGLE dam risk reduction grant funds that were granted back in May.
The City of White Cloud clarified in a statement that the water levels are not due to a dam failure.
"We are ONLY permitted to do what we can do what we can and are permitted to do to correct this," the city said. "The water level has increased over the past 36 hours, and we expect it to continue to rise."
The grant gave the city $68,425 for a dam disposition feasibility study for the White Cloud Dam, which informed the decisions on dam repairs.
Woodward and Dean hope the next time the lake drains, residents are informed.