# Phantom Ice Dams & Floods On The Au Sable River



## MichiganStreamside (Jan 19, 2014)

Here is a graph of Foote Dam and shows the huge shut down of water yesterday and today a large spike. In the past these shut downs put the river into frozen icy mess for weeks at least this time it was not all the cold and that didn't happen. This problem has happened for years and it never get addressed by Consumers Energy and MI DNR. But here is some interesting info. If you look at today's DNR Au Sable fishing report it is all about the causes of this water shut down. I also spoke with DNR personnel who also blamed these bad flows on the site where gauge is at that Foote Dam gets its data from and said it was jammed up river. Well picture below shows something much different.


*DNR FISHING REPORT 1-7-16*
*Au Sable River:* Anglers fishing below Foote Dam need to be aware that water flows are fluctuating at this time because of ice damming issues above Alcona. Anglers should check the USGS river flow gauges for the most up-to-date conditions. Click here: www.usgs.gov/water/. Severe cold causes the river above the Alcona Impoundment to turn to slush, creates anchor ice, and forms ice dams that create large changes in downstream flows. Thus, conditions may be very difficult for fishing or floating below Foote Dam. Some steelhead and a few perch have been caught in the area.














Here is where gauge is at and section that was blamed for the problems at Foote. Snow does not lie but some in this state do! Snow shows river has maybe changed a couple inches at most of late. Flooding, ice dams, anchor ice, backed up water no signs of any of this at all. Why is the state pumping out false info in fishing report to allow wild flow changes at Foote Dam? To let Consumers Energy make more power and money?


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## herb09 (Jan 11, 2009)

Kelly we really need to form some type of group there never going to take only a couple of us complaining seriously.


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## skamina (Dec 8, 2011)

Lets get a group together n try to make it better for everyone. Let me know what i can do to help. LUV THE STEAL!!!!


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

Hey, Kelly. Sorry for being lazy, but do you have contact info for someone @ the State level we can complain to? Name, ph#, and email address should work. I'll be glad to send them a blast. I really thought the actions you took a few years back fixed the problem. 

Obviously the people who operate the dams haven't figured out how to do their jobs properly, in the decades they have had to get it right. If the actual operators were liable for fines, or even if Cons Energy received fines for this kind of thing, I'm sure the problem would actually get fixed. No enforcement = lame.


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## herb09 (Jan 11, 2009)

Here is the latest I have.


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## skamina (Dec 8, 2011)

Thank you im gonna write some letters hopefully it will help


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## kzoofisher (Mar 6, 2011)

The Anglers of the Au Sable have formed a sub-committee that is focused on the water from Mio to Oscoda with the greatest focus between Mio-Alcona and below Foote. Contact Tess Nelkie at Nordic Sports (www.n-sport.com) in East Tawas to find out how you can help or nudge them on this issue. The committee has only been up and running officially for a few months and is looking for people who are focused on the lower water.


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## MichiganStreamside (Jan 19, 2014)

kzoofisher said:


> The Anglers of the Au Sable have formed a sub-committee that is focused on the water from Mio to Oscoda with the greatest focus between Mio-Alcona and below Foote. Contact Tess Nelkie at Nordic Sports (www.n-sport.com) in East Tawas to find out how you can help or nudge them on this issue. The committee has only been up and running officially for a few months and is looking for people who are focused on the lower water.


That has already been done and the The Anglers of the Au Sable are very aware of the problem.


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