COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Branch County Sheriffs Marine Patrol has issued a Boaters Alert for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday weekend.
The Marine Patrol says entering and exiting Coldwater Lake at the Warren Road Bridge and Long Lake Channel will be slow going and backups are very possible.
Sargent Rick Holtgrave says heavy Fourth of July weekend boat traffic is expected at Coldwater Lake. That will also be the case for the Fireworks display tonight.
He says boaters should give themselves plenty of time and they should help their fellow boaters.
Branch County Drain Commissioner Michael Hard says while recent rains have brought the level of Coldwater Lake to just above its summer level, the sandbar area lake level is still low. Holtgrave says due to the low levels in that area and the buildup of the sandbar over the winter, boaters should be prepared to disembark to get through or turn around.
The Coldwater Lake Association is currently applying for a Michigan Department of Environmental Quality permit to remove the buildup.
reported by Jim Measel
