Water loaded with silt and sediment was discharged from a private dam on the Pigeon River near Vanderbilt, MI causing a significant fish kill downstream.

The discharge, believed to have begun the night of June 22nd, flushed sediment from the pond above the dam located on the property of Song of the Morning Ranch in Otsego County into the Pigeon River. Fisheries Division staff with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) began their investigation into the fish kill on June 23rd. Shortly after that they contacted the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Pollution Emergency Alert System.

Both the DNR and DEQ are taking the incident very seriously and continue to commit staff and resources into assessing the full extent of the damage to the Pigeon River caused by the discharge from the dam. The agencies are coordinating closely in their ongoing investigations. As such, results are not yet available. It would be irresponsible to prematurely speculate on the magnitude of any damages until all investigations are completed.

Fisheries Division is aware of the public outrage over this being the third time in 50 years that damage to fisheries and environmental resources has resulted from problems with the dam. Every effort is being made to respond to the public's concerns with a thorough examination of the event but that will take time. After all the facts are known we will be able to proceed toward a resolution for the citizens and anglers of this state. We plan to take appropriate steps to restore the Pigeon River to its normal condition as soon as possible.