COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Branch County Commissioner Tim Stoll said during Tuesday’s meeting that he is still getting a lot of calls from residents in his district about Union Lake’s low level.
Stoll represents Union, Sherwood, Matteson, Batavia and Bethel Townships.
Branch County Drain Commissioner Mike Hard and Ryan Cope from Civil Engineering, Incorporated of Battle Creek spoke to Commissioners during their work session last Thursday.
Civil Engineering was asked to take a look at the relationship between the North Chain of Lakes and Union Lake. A preliminary study was conducted last week.
Stoll questioned County Administrator Frank Walsh where things stood.
Stoll wants every resource exhausted.
Cope said last Thursday that potential water losses could be contributed to a number of factors including ground water infiltration, evaporation, irrigation re-hydrating wetlands and lowlands, flow and seepage from the Union Lake dam.
The lake chain is two inches lower than the summer level due to the drought conditions. Hard said last week every legal lake limit
in Branch County has not been able to be met.
According to the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor, Branch County is currently in a moderate drought due to the lack of rain since early August.
Water flows down hill, if the lakes at the top are unusually low places down stream aren’t gonna see the normal levels also.
We had a very dry summer, what’s so hard to understand?