Wixom Lake restoration continues with lakebed tree cutting
MID-MICHIGAN (WNEM) - The restoration of Wixom Lake continues as machinery rumbles along the lakebed.
Through efforts locally and with different entities between the Wixom Lake Association and the Wixom Lake Improvement Board, restoration efforts are in place trying to get the lake back to it’s old glory.
“It’s a 10 mile lake so we have lots of work to do and it takes lots of hands to make it happen,” said Doug Hill, president of the Wixom Lake Association.
Four tree cutting crews were on the grounds assisting with the Tuesday, Aug. 8, tree removal. Three of those crews were contracted by the Wixom Lake Association and the last was brought by the Wixom Lake Improvement Board.
“Right now, Mother Nature seems to be the biggest enemy that we have,” Hill said. “So, as long as the weather stays good and we can continue to be on the lakebed and we don’t get too much rain, we’re going to continue as long as we possibly can.”
With the funding the association has been able to raise, they’re optimistic about getting crews back on the lakebed and finishing as much as they can before weather stops them in their tracks.
“Whether it’s two weeks now, two weeks as the ground freezes. But, we’re really trying to - thinking around our funding is somewhere around a six to eight week window,” said Hill.
The crews on the lakebed are now able clear about two to five acres an hour.
“It’s challenging as always because we’re asking the community to do more when they’ve lost a lot already. But, everybody is really... it’s really bonded the community a lot. And I think that a lot of the community is really stepped up and really helped out with those efforts,” Hill said.
It’s estimated Wixom Lake will be able to be filled in 2026.
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