The muskegon river watershed assembly mrwa has a plan prioritizing removal of twelve dams within the muskegon river watershed, including the altona DAM the altona DAM is one of over one hundred dams…

The Muskegon River Watershed Assembly (MRWA) was awarded a $207,500 cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 3 under the Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance federal grant program (CFDA 15.608). The funding will support MRWA's project to remove the Altona Dam on the Little Muskegon River in Altona, Michigan by December 2025.

Removal of the derelict Altona Dam will reconnect over 14 miles of instream habitat, improve conditions for brook trout and other aquatic species, and enhance recreational opportunities like kayaking and fishing. Specifically, dam removal will address habitat fragmentation, restore hydrologic flows disrupted by the dam, and provide fish passage. This project aims to advance the MRWA's broader plan to prioritize removal of 12 dams impacting the Muskegon River watershed's ecological resiliency.

The muskegon river watershed assembly mrwa has a plan prioritizing removal of twelve dams within the muskegon river watershed, including the altona DAM the altona DAM is one of over one hundred dams in the muskegon river watershed known to disrupt the ecological resiliency and function of one of michigan s most productive watersheds altona, like many of the dams in the watershed, is over 100 years old, no longer serving its intended function, and failing beyond the public safety risks, the altona DAM removal is an opportunity to improve the ecology of the river because the DAM is imposing major impacts on the watershed including fragmentation of habitat for brook trout and other aquatic life, while contributing to warmer water temperatures, lower dissolved oxygen, and disruption of hydrologic flow in 2008, the mrwa and partners completed a comprehensive study of the watershed and found that the impacts of climate change on muskegon river fishes, and their habitat, would be dramatic because of warmer water and more erratic river discharge the study data suggested hydrologic and water quality changes threatened to reduce useable habitat for the iconic brook trout the goal of this project is to remove the high priority altona DAM and begin the systematic approach of habitat and connectivity restoration and to vibrantly improvement conditions for brook trout and other aquatic life this will be accomplished watershed wide through promoting further DAM removal, addressing ecological impairments, and showcasing success and lessons learned from altona DAM several other fish species will benefit from the removal including brown trout and rainbow trout the altona DAM is a velocity and vertical barrier for aquatic organism passage in the system furthermore, cool and cold water habitat within the little muskegon river headwaters provide thermal refugia removing the altona DAM will provide aquatic organism passage and connect valuable thermal refugia that will serve to sustain brook trout and other cool cold water species in the face of changing climate regimes the altona DAM is the last barrier on the main branch of the little muskegon river and this project will reconnect 4 2 miles of instream habitat in the main branch with an additional 10 miles of instream habitat reconnected in the east and west branches of the little muskegon river the little muskegon river is a valuable natural resource and prized recreational and fishing destination for the community this project will improve in stream habitat and connectivity and will enhance recreational and fishing opportunities kayak and canoe use of the system is highly valuable and removing the derelict DAM opens up continuous recreational opportunity in the system and removes a hazardous obstacle a canoe and angling access site is planned for the site