Michigan Watershed Watch

Michigan Watershed Watch is an environmental and river-advocacy initiative connected to the West Michigan Kayaking Club, built around a simple belief: you can’t truly love Michigan’s rivers without working to protect them. Our paddles take us deep into the places most people never see—from small creeks and remote tributaries to major rivers—and that firsthand experience gives us a unique perspective on the health of Michigan’s waterways. Through Michigan Watershed Watch, we document river conditions, highlight pollution and habitat concerns, promote responsible stewardship, and advocate for practical solutions that can restore free-flowing, healthy rivers. We believe paddlers should be more than visitors on the water—we should be eyes, voices, and advocates for Michigan’s rivers.

Consumers Energy’s Gamble With Michigan’s Largest Dam: Delaying a Critical $350 Million Safety Fix While Lives Hang in the Balance

Oct 27, 2026 4:48 PM

Hardy Dam on the Muskegon River is Michigan’s largest hydroelectric dam. It is also a high-hazard structure whose failure would put thousands of people and hundreds of millions of dollars in property at risk downstream, stretching into Muskegon County. After federal regulators updated flood estimates, Hardy no longer meets the standard requiring high-hazard hydropower dams to safely pass the probable maximum flood—the largest flood scientists consider physically possible at the site. The existing auxiliary spillway is undersized. A major storm could overwhelm it.

Consumers Energy’s Dam Strategy: Public Safety Must Not Become a Bargaining Chip

Oct 27, 2026 9:01 AM

Consumers Energy is warning that Michigan’s reservoirs may not refill next spring unless the company is allowed to sell its fleet of hydroelectric dams. This raises a serious question: Is Consumers Energy attempting to bully the public and pressure politicians into approving a sale by threatening consequences if it does not get its way?

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Michigan Watershed Watch

Consumers Energy’s Gamble With Michigan’s Largest Dam: Delaying a Critical $350 Million Safety Fix While Lives Hang in the Balance

Consumers Energy’s Dam Strategy: Public Safety Must Not Become a Bargaining Chip

Hodenpyl Dam Is Showing Warning Signs. Michigan Should Start Planning Its Removal.

DNR’s land transactions add acreage to Beaver Island research area, Leelanau State Park

Michigan’s Arctic Grayling Comeback: A Year Later, the Search Continues

The Pollution You Can't See: A 6.7-Mile Toxic Plume Is Creeping Toward Shanty Creek

25 Million for Kalamazoo River Restoration Marks Major Investment in Michigan’s Waterways

Why is Michigan changing the rules governing dam ownership while a major dam sale is sitting before state regulators?

Dam Drawdown Could Keep St. Joseph River Reservoir Low

Greenside Darter Returns to the Lower Rouge

Michigan’s Dams Were Built for Another Century. Now Lawmakers Are Trying to Fix the System

Old-growth red pine forest discovered near Two Hearted River