A longtime piece of Vicksburg’s history is less than a year from being replaced. The 175-year-old dam which protects Sunset Lake’s level and protects downstream properties from flooding is scheduled for replacement next spring,
Kalamazoo County Drain Commissioner Jason Wiersma has played a key role in funding development of a new Sunset Lake dam. The projected $3.4 million replacement is expected to be built over a four-month period starting next spring, Wiersma said.
He said the current dam, built in 1850, does not meet state standards for a 200-year rainfall, an event so severe it could be expected just once in 200 years. Wiersma noted it has clearly served its purpose for an impressive amount of time, but its current state has been a concern long before he took over the post more than four years ago.
“When I worked for the previous drain commissioner and the deputy, they were always concerned about this dam. And I knew from when I was working for them as an enforcing agent, this was going to have to be replaced at some point and it was going to cost millions of dollars,” Wiersma said during a June 25 tour of the West Washington Street site. “Once it started getting downgraded and I had the opportunity to get the money, I took advantage of that opportunity, so now we can replace the dam without assessing all these taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars on each home.”
The project, which includes replacement of the culvert under Washington Street, is being funded with $2.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, plus another $900,000 from the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy which will cover the anticipated cost of the new culvert and its placement.
Wiersma said Vicksburg will not incur any expense as a result of the dam replacement.
The new dam will be on the north side of Washington Street. Wiersma said its design is called a “labyrinth weir”, a stair-step style that creates a cascading effect as water flows over it. The design – popular in the west but rare in Michigan, Wiersma said – satisfies precautions that must be followed due to the protected status of snuffbox mussels.
“The labyrinth weir structure is so much nicer because there’s no operational component to it and its flow creates water motion beneficial to the snuffbox mussel,” Wiersma said. “Once we get the OK from the state, I’m going to send designs to Vicksburg so they can put it online if they want and we’ll put a rendering on our website for a complete public view.”
He said Sunset Lake Dam is considered a high-impact dam, the only one of its kind in Kalamazoo County, he said. It will be the biggest dam replacement he has been a part of since becoming drain commissioner in January 2021.
The first step will center on creating a bypass channel, which will divert water away from its current course. The process is called “bypass pumping” and is a temporary measure. Once that is established, workers can begin the task of creating the new dam.
He said Sunset Lake’s water level will not be affected by the construction.
Water will leave the labyrinth weir dam via a sloped channel and continue to a secondary waterfall in the same area as the current dam.
Wiersma said he is excited for the community because the new dam will be visually pleasing and could even serve as a meeting point, featuring benches and manicured grounds.
“As everyone knows, right now it is property surrounded by barbed wire and it’s all fenced in … just not real pleasant to look at,” he said. “There will be some fencing but no barbed wire; it’ll definitely be more aesthetically pleasing. People driving by will actually be able to see the outfall of the dam.”
Wiersma gave a shout-out to Vicksburg’s Department of Public Works staff members, who he said are always happy to help manage the dam and make lake-level adjustments as circumstances warrant. Wiersma said DPW’s generous aid keeps him from having to drive from Kalamazoo to Vicksburg to perform a mundane, five-minute task.
Wiersma said Sunset Lake receives its water from Gourdneck Creek. Sunset Lake water flows south under West Prairie Street into what is known by old-timers as Simpson Mill Pond. From there, the flow continues through a channel, into Washington Street culvert, over the dam and, from there, continues south as the Portage Creek. That creek then flows several miles into Barton Lake, ultimately continuing to Portage Lake in Mendon Township.
Without the dam, Sunset Lake’s water level would lower to the point of nothing more than a stream, Wiersma said. The dam was built to turn a wheel for the mill that once stood at the site.
