Lee Philport, former Brady Township supervisor and former township drain commissioner, has lived on Indian Lake in Vicksburg for the past 45 years. Philport says, “In those 45 years we’ve had three or four flooding events similar to this one, but this is definitely the biggest.”
According to an article written by Mark Torregrossa on Mlive and published July 16, 2024, “We can see a small area south of Portage and Kalamazoo at over 15 inches of rain in the past month. This spot is the wettest area in Michigan in the past month.” The little spot on the map that accompanied the article seems to sit directly over Indian Lake.
Indian Lake Association members have been busy removing clogs from bridges in the Portage River to try and facilitate the drainage of water leaving Indian Lake. And while these efforts are unarguably helpful, as are removing beaver dams and fallen trees, the mere six-foot elevation drop between Indian Lake and Portage Lake on the way to the Saint Joseph River is the stuff that slow and lazy rivers are made of. And a wide area of land, estimated at up to 50,000 acres that drain into the Indian Lake Basin make heavy rain situations difficult.
Philport says, “Living on a waterway comes with certain challenges, and flooding is a big one. Long-term residents are usually more ready with dock and boat removal plans, and even having sandbags ready from experience with these 8-year cycles of ebbs and flows. Newer residents seem to mix a little more panic into their response in experiencing their first flood.”
As in every lake community in our beautiful State of Michigan, discussions for solutions will be discussed with a sense of urgency during and after the flooding. These discussions will wane after a few perfect, or more normal, summers. In the end Mother Nature will be Mother Nature and do what she does. The floods will come again, and all we can do is hope they won’t come soon.
