Bald Mountain Pond Dam Removal

Located in Paint Creek subwatershed in the ecologically important upper reaches of the Clinton River, the Bald Mountain Pond Dam once served as a recreational stream crossing within the Bald Mountain Recreation Area. However, degrading conditions and safety concerns led to its abandonment as a pedestrian passageway across Trout Creek. In addition to its lost function, the Bald Mountain Pond Dam was identified as a barrier to fish passage and a restriction to natural flow, thermal regimes, and sediment transport—making it a primary target for removal.

After close collaboration with both agencies on potential solutions, in 2021, CRWC was awarded grant funding from MDNR and USFWS to address this issue. CRWC subsequently performed pre-dam removal stream monitoring, ecological surveys, and planned the dam removal process. In January 2023, the Bald Mountain Pond Dam was successfully removed, restoring approximately 1.25-miles of fish passage within Trout Creek. In addition to enhanced connectivity for fish species, native mussel communities (including the state-threatened slippershell) are expected to benefit from this stream restoration project.

This project pairs with an earlier GLRI-funded dam removal effort to reconnect 16-miles of fish passage by CRWC on downstream Paint Creek, a coldwater-designated trout stream for which Trout Creek is a tributary. In the larger scheme, both dam removal projects build on CRWC’s Clinton River Coldwater Conservation Project (CRCCP). The CRCCP is a collaboration between CRWC, four Trout Unlimited Chapters, EGLE, MDNR, and local municipalities whose mission is to enhance and restore coldwater stream habitat within the watershed. Ultimately, these projects collectively work to benefit the health of the Clinton River watershed as a whole.

In the fall of 2023, CRWC furthered site restoration by planting 1400 native plants with the aid of volunteers. These native herbaceous plants and trees will help stabilize the banks and enhance the riparian buffer zone along this section of Trout Creek. Post-dam removal monitoring, ecological surveys, and road-stream crossing evaluations will help quantify the benefits of the dam removal on Trout Creek and the greater Clinton River watershed.

Location: Oakland, MI

Funding Source: Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

Entity Receiving Funding: Clinton River Watershed Council

Budget: $26,000 MDNR Grant, $13,000 USFWS Grant, $3,000 from local donor (total=$42,000)

Start/End Date: Summer 2021-Fall 2023

Trout Creek Pond Dam before demolition (2007)