County will not pursue plan to seasonally lower Iron Mill Pond

Wolff Road in Manchester Township sits close to the waterline and floods during periods of heavy rain.

Wolff Road is a dead end road in Manchester Township running south along Iron Mill Pond. It sits at or below the water level during the wettest seasons. The Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office was looking into seasonally lowering Iron Mill Pond’s water levels to help with some of these drainage issues, but after a public meeting on the issue last Tuesday at Manchester Township Hall, the county has shelved the plan.

The Water Resources Commissioner’s Office maintains the legally established lake level elevation at Iron Mill Pond, which is currently kept constant throughout the year. The Road Commission approached the Water Resources Commissioner’s Office about the possibility of creating a lower seasonal elevation in the winter and early spring months as a way to lessen the likelihood of Wolff Road flooding and being closed during times when there is a lot of snow melt and/or large rain events.

They held the public meeting last Tuesday in an effort to gauge public reaction to this proposal and allow the township board to get input from their residents. There were approximately 25 residents who attended. According to an attendee, none of the residents were in favor of seasonally lowering the lake level.

The Washtenaw County Road Commission stated, “We are not planning on pursuing this option at this time. That could change if the Township ever expresses a different opinion on this option.” Ron Milkey of the Manchester Township Board confirmed that the plan to lower the water level of Iron Mill Pond will not be pursued by the Township. The Deputy Water Resources Commissioner explained that as neither the Road Commission nor the Township is interested in pursuing this plan, they will not take any further action and will continue maintaining the yearlong level, as they have done since it was established in 1966.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.