By Louie Stout

The Eagle Lake situation has taken another turn that should be of concern to anglers and non-anglers alike awaiting construction of the new boat ramp.

While the proposed public access remains tangled in the DNR/DEQ courts, a developer has petitioned the state for a permit to install a marina-like operation in the southeast corner of Eagle Lake. It would be located on both sides of the existing ramp, and including a re-do of the existing ramp for private use.

Four Lakes Development, LLC hopes to obtain permits and permission to build 12 homes on the old dock property and has petitioned the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) to place six, 40-foot docks, six feet wide, on the shoreline north and south of the existing ramp. The docks would be used by residents in the proposed development.

It’s the same area where lake residents objected to the DNR’s first attempt to put a public access on the lake.

EGLE has opened the project for public comment until Oct. 30. Michiana Outdoors News and Darrin Schaap of Clear H2O Tackle urge anglers and non-anglers alike to take time to post a comment and express concerns about the marina plan.

To comment visit: https://miwaters.deq.state.mi.us/miwaters/external/publicnotice/info/-3124193110651320520/details

Once opened, click on the “documents” button near the top to view the plan and then click on the “add comment” button to express your support/concerns for the project.

The website will NOT accept comments from smart phones. It must be done on a computer.

Schaap, also a lifelong Edwardsburg resident, brought up some good points about the proposed project that anglers and the EGLE should consider: “When we started the public ramp project almost nine years ago – and up to this point – we have been met with many objections from the private sector about the project,” he said. Many of those would apply to this project as well.”

The following are the concerns of Schaap and Michiana Outdoors News:

• The proposed development and subsequent marina will create more traffic on an already busy Eagle Lake Road and at the most dangerous point at the bottom of the winding hill.
• The project will create a potentially unsafe pedestrian environment of people crossing Eagle Lake Road from their homes to the boat docks.
• The ramp in the marina will also be unsafe as one will need to back across the road to launch and retrieve a boat.
• The project will increase boat traffic on a lake that already is too busy, according to the private sector.
• The marina project site likely includes some form of wetlands, which is part of the reason the proposed public ramp is tied up in the DNR courts.
• The 240 feet of proposed dock space and the areas in between those docks will be a substantial loss of lakefront that can be safely used by lake residents and the public. The water in the development area is very shallow. Without some major revamping, it doesn’t set up well for boat traffic to be safe and prudent.

“These are the main reasons I feel the project should be denied,” said Schaap. “Many of these are the same expressed by lake residents when the DNR proposed its boat access on the former dock property.”

Despite the Eagle Lake Improvement Association’s outcries and lawsuits filed against the DNR’s proposed public ramp, the association and lake residents have been relatively mum and its website makes no mention about the development.

If you agree with Schaap and Michiana Outdoor News, take a few minutes to fill out the comment page on the website listed above.