Hamilton Dam Situation Update as of 09-23-08

Tuesday, September 23rd 2008, Gary Lacy the President of Recreation Engineering & Planning (REP) attended two meetings in Flint as a show of good faith and to present the opportunity for the Hamilton Dam to both the Flint River Corridor Alliance, Hamilton Dam sub-committee and other stake holders including City of Flint Representatives. After the meetings, which were very beneficial, it now looks as if the Initial Site Survey, including conceptual designs and plans will be moving forward. The Flint River Watershed Coalition obtained a grant for funds for the study from the MOTT Foundation.

One encouraging development and addition to the scope of the project is that a decision was made to also include the Fabre Dam (the next dam downstream from Hamilton dam) in the study and the proposal. This would in essence allow paddling thru the downtown corridor with the only main concern being the concrete corridor (Chevy in the Hole) area, which could be a safety concern for inexperienced paddlers as the river is channelized (faster) and getting out of the river is problematic due to the steepness of the concrete banks.



Either way, the fact that the initial site survey is moving forward is good news. As a side note, REP is also working with Ann Arbor and Petoskey looking at opportunities on the Huron River at the Argo Dam and on the Bear River in Petoskey for other potential man-made whitewater runs.