NILES — With plans to demolish the Pucker Street Dam and restore the Dowagiac River, many residents along the Dowagiac River are asking for answers about what the project will mean for their property.

Residents got a chance to express these concerns during a meeting with project experts Tuesday night, at the Niles District Library.

Last month, the city voted to approve five-year easements for property owners who have agreed to allow officials to utilize their land to complete the project. But not all property owners are willing to let that happen and this was made clear when several residents spoke up during the meeting. 

About 50 residents were in attendance Tuesday. Many expressed concern and frustration because the project is proposed to alter some of the resident’s land. Depending upon their location, the dam removal could change the slope of the river bank and in some cases, take away the view of the river.  The two-year construction phase would also put residents in close proximity to the construction zone.

Prior to a question and answer period, experts provided background on the project. Those who spoked included engineers, a Department of Natural Resources official and the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission.

Utilities Manager Jeff Dunlap started by explaining to residents why the aging powerhouse was being removed. While the dam sits on Niles Township property, it was purchased by the city and constructed in 1928. The dam has not been operational since 1995. Dunlap said the city discovered several issues with the dam that became too costly to repair, especially given the dam did not produce a relatively large amount of power.

Dunlap outlined how sediment build-up behind the dam was leeching into the powerhouse and ruining the equipment, including pushing the dam’s shaft out of alignment, which was costing the city thousands of dollars in repairs. The dam was also producing only 2 to 3 percent of the city’s needs for energy. Dunlap said the city came to the conclusion that power would cheaper to purchase than it was to make. Despite these problems and the city turning to an alternative for power, the dam continued to sit on the Dowagiac River and age. 

“I want to apologize on behalf of the city,” Dunlap said. “It took 20 years to decide what to do and I think we made the right decision in 2013 with the Southwest Michigan Planning Committee, with Wightman, with the DNR, with Inter-Fluve, with the DEQ and Fish and Wildlife Service.”

Removing the dam has been projected to cost about $3 million, though the final cost is still being determined. Marcy Hamilton, a deputy executive director and senior planner for the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission, said the city has acquired more than $1.7 million in grants from state and federal partners for the project. Electric rate payers in the city have also been paying a surcharge since 2015 to help pay for the project. When the surcharge was first instituted residents paid 1 cent per kilowatt hour per month. That surcharge was steadily reduced over the years and residents now pay one-fourth of 1 cent per kilowatt hour. The surcharge will be in place until the dam is removed and the river is restored.

Hamilton emphasized that the dam cannot continue to sit on the river unused.

“It really is a safety and liability issue. This dam is old.” Hamilton said. “It’s past its life in terms of infrastructure and it needs to come out.”

In addition to removing the aging dam, the officials told the audience that the project will provide ecological benefits, opening up the river for various aquatic life and natural sediment to move freely. The dam’s removal will restore about 2 miles of habitat and connect the river with 159 miles of stream.

Tiffany Jaynes, who lives on Creek Road, told city officials she felt property owners have nothing to gain from the project.

“What I’m saying is the city is doing nothing for us with you on our property. What’s the benefit for us to give you the easement, when you are doing nothing for us?” Jaynes said. “You are making the water and the land look different during this two year construction.”

Officials said the project was necessary to restoring the Dowagiac River and creating a better body of water that everyone can enjoy.

Barton Chapman, a water resource engineer with Inter-Fluve — a company completing some of the work on the dam, described the situation as a “catch 22.”

“This is aging infrastructure that no longer serves a purpose,” Chapman said. “If the dam doesn’t come out, you all have to break out your check books and repair that structure.”

Others who came to the meeting said they felt the meeting helped to address their questions and concerns. 

Lynn Robson, who also lives on Creek Road, said she felt better about the dam removal following the meeting. Robson said her and her husband had agreed to the easement.

“I think the case for taking the dam out was far greater in regards to the environmental impact, than leaving the structure there,” Robson said. “It’s sad to me that the person who first put the dam in must have been thinking just about money and power and not the environmental effect.”

To find out more about the project or to share inquiries, vist swmpc.org/puckerstdam.asp.