# Lyons dam might soon be history



## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Lyons dam might soon be history

LYONS - The Village of Lyons dam has been tiding the ebb and flow of the Grand River for 150 years, but it may not be around too much longer.

An Inlands Fishery Grant approved this January has provided $68,750 toward the planning stages of removing the dam entirely; the Ionia Conservation District, Village of Lyons and Timberland RC&D will partner on the project.

It's been a long time coming; it's been a long process, said Ionia Conservation District Executive Director Melissa Eldridge, noting that the process to remove the dam started five years ago. We'd been looking for ways to try and fund this project and take the dam out, and finally everything seems to have fallen in place.

Removing the dam puts back the natural state of the river and improves things, said Eldridge. It even increases the number of types of fish that can come upstream.

Though the planning portion of the dam removal is officially funded, there is no time table for removal. Eldridge is currently writing a second grant in conjunction with the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that, if approved, would provide funding for the dam's removal. It's a substantial amount of money, likely costing close to $1 million.

http://www.sentinel-standard.com/articles/2009/01/23/news/01news.txt


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## Steelhead Addict (Dec 16, 2004)

its great to hear about dam removals!!! what other ones can we rip out?


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Throughout the state there are hundreds of dams that should be removed large and small. They are in disrepair, too expensive for small landowners and communities to repair and a liability waiting to happen......just like up on the Pigeon River.


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## wintrrun (Jun 11, 2008)

Steelhead Addict said:


> its great to hear about dam removals!!! what other ones can we rip out?


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## Ron Matthews (Aug 10, 2006)

Steelhead Addict said:


> its great to hear about dam removals!!! what other ones can we rip out?


 
Foote dam is a good one to let go :rant:


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## Flyfisher (Oct 1, 2002)

Steelhead Addict said:


> its great to hear about dam removals!!! what other ones can we rip out?


6th Street, Hesperia, Rockford, and Croton...then install a bottom draw release on Hardy.:evil:


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

Flyfisher said:


> *6th Street,* Hesperia, Rockford, and Croton...then install a bottom draw release on Hardy.:evil:


Why ruin a good thing *(6th st)*?
Not all fish hooked there, at the dam, are lined. Contrary to popular belief...
I also believe rainbows planted above the Rockford dam are getting out to lake Michigan and returning as silver sided rainbows that we all catch... at 6th st. .
So that one I would leave alone also.


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## Flyfisher (Oct 1, 2002)

Oldgrandman said:


> Why ruin a good thing *(6th st)*?
> Not all fish hooked there, at the dam, are lined. Contrary to popular belief...
> I also believe rainbows planted above the Rockford dam are getting out to lake Michigan and returning as silver sided rainbows that we all catch... at 6th st. .
> So that one I would leave alone also.


Did I say anything about lining fish? 

Its an unnatural barrier to salmon and steelhead ascending the river, and during cold weather it all but prevents fish from moving despite the fish ladder. 

The dam in Rockford serves no purpose and blocks fish from some very good spawning gravel and coldwater tributaries. Additionally, the stagnant pond above the dam warms the water in summer months to levels intolerable to trout below the dam.


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

Flyfisher said:


> Did I say anything about lining fish?


No you did not and I did not mean the lining comment for you. I suppose it looked that way, my appologies. (if I spelled it right)

Sometimes when responding if you do not type your entire philosiphy into a post you can be misunderstood. Bet it has happened to you before?

Anyways what I am saying is the Grand is fine as is. I know the upper Rogue is good pike water and excellent trout water but in different spots. Trout get out of the upper Rogue I am sure, and thats just fime with me if they do not make it back. Best of both worlds.
I say let all it be but just my .02 on the subject. 
Again, sorry if I gave the wrong impression Flyfisher...
_I'll take MY medication now!_


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## Bucket-Back (Feb 8, 2004)

Flyfisher said:


> 6th Street, Hesperia, Rockford, and Croton...then install a bottom draw release on Hardy.:evil:


What about all the landowners on Croton Pond? What about the clean electric generated by Croton? Or don't u care? Let's build some more coal-fired power plants.


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## Flyfisher (Oct 1, 2002)

Bucket-Back said:


> What about all the landowners on Croton Pond? What about the clean electric generated by Croton? Or don't u care? Let's build some more coal-fired power plants.


Sorry if you missed the sarcasm on the Croton comment evil as we all know it would never happen. 

As I indicated above, the other dams mentioned serve no purpose and I would like to see them gone.

Mark, got your PM We all have our own opinions...its all good


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## steelie (Sep 20, 2000)

Good Day,

While in many cases dam removal may be a good thing, it certainly desreves a lot of thought on a dam per dam basis. Certainly it would be wonderful to retain more natural flows on our rivers, but we also have to be concerned with what is behind them. And this is two fold. First and quite possibly most importantly is what is in the silt behind a dam? Is there evidence of heavy metals or other polutants that would have to be extracted first? (An almost prohibitive expense.) And then there is the concern with many rivers of protecting species that live above dams that other wise might be wiped out by intruders from down stream. Think of the many lower Michigan brook trout streams that in many cases owe their very existance to the pressence of dams downstream. Or rivers that, again due to dams downstream, do not get the hordes of fishermen chasing after anadromous species such as salmon and steelhead therefore making for a more pristene and "trout centered" fishery. All I am saying is that thought has to be made a priority over just ripping them out for the sake of ripping them out.

Steelie


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## jimbo (Dec 29, 2007)

there's several old unused dams in the kzoo between allegan & marrow pond that i'd love to have removed.
but there's way too much crap in the silt & would cost millions :sad:


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## Splitshot (Nov 30, 2000)

Just a point on bottom draw dams. If they made Tippy or Hodenpyle a bottom draw all the cold water left over from winter would be used up long before it was needed. The bubbler systems forces up the cold water only in late summer when temperatures get to high.


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## chris_kreiner (Sep 6, 2006)

I would love to see Lyons dam gone. Gets rid of one more group of snaggers in the area.:rant:


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## Trout King (May 1, 2002)

> I would love to see Lyons dam gone. Gets rid of one more group of snaggers in the area.


There will always be snaggers. I'd rather have them snag at Lyons Dam than off the beds in the tributaries around the area, where the fish are actually reproducing.

I think the removal would be benefitial to the river...as long as they remove the silt above the dam before tearing the dam out. If they didn't remove the silt it might be detrimental to the river...maybe even as far down as Saranac.


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Trout King said:


> I think the removal would be benefitial to the river...as long as they remove the silt above the dam before tearing the dam out. If they didn't remove the silt it might be detrimental to the river...maybe even as far down as Saranac.


All dams that are removed after they go through a long extensive review process to establish the best removal process. That includes the EIS covering contaminants and best methods of stabilizing the up river watershed to protect the downstream river. Every dam is a case by case review to be able to adapt to the needs of the watershed and community. The long Bordman River Dam removal thread and Kalamazoo River thread will give you an evening of reading material.


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## no lead (Jul 28, 2005)

WOW! hamilton,
18,000 posts. that is a career.


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