Water Level Update:
Recent speculation on the increase in water levels has focused on three areas: 1) the breached dam at the Pettit Mill Pond, and 2)
sediment levels in the Pond
. These two items impact the amount of water entering our chain.
The third item of the concern 3) is logjam and weed control from Messick Dam to County Line Road in the Elkhart River, which impacts the ability of water to leave the lakes chain.
The Five Lakes Association recently commissioned a study of these two concerns. We are happy to report that the study found that the Mill Pond has an additional five (5) years of available sediment capacity and
is working as designed
.
The dam showed
notable displacement of part of the grade control structure that was installed in 2005. Some of the smaller field stone has since been displaced, leaving the key trench prone to future damage. Due to these findings, Five Lakes Association submitted a Lake & River Enhancement (LARE) grant with Indiana DNR to repair the dam at Pettit Mill Pond.
The study was paid for by Five Lakes, along with a contribution from Witmer Lake Association, and was completed by Cardno of Walkerton, Ind.
In November, a team hired to clear log jams in the Elkhart River below the Messick Dam completed more than 10 days of work on the River. More than 300 man-hours went into the cleanup that removed more than 100 trees and brush. A new baseline has been established, as that portion of the River is now the most unobstructed as it has been in recent memory.
