Dredging at West Houghton Lake and South Houghton Lake boating access sites to start Monday
In an effort to complete critical work ahead of the spring boating season, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will have dredging work done, starting Monday, March 15, at the West Houghton Lake and South Houghton Lake boating access sites in Roscommon County.
The west site (located in Lake Township) and the south site (located in Denton Township) will have their lagoons dredged to allow for the safe passage of boat traffic into and out of Houghton Lake. Because the dredging will create unsafe/unstable ice conditions around the boating access sites, the public is warned to stay away from the sites until work is completed. DNR project managers expect the dredging to be finished in about two weeks.
Anyone wanting to access Houghton Lake for ice fishing is encouraged to use the East Houghton Lake boating access site on the east side of the lake in Markey Township (with a mappable address of 3455 East Houghton Lake Drive, Houghton Lake, 48629).
“The dredges at the lagoons at the West Houghton Lake and South Houghton Lake boating access site are much needed at this time,” said Josh Pellow, manager at North Higgins Lake State Park. “The current sand buildup, especially at the west site, made it very difficult this past fall for people to get watercraft in or out of the lagoons. Our No. 1 goal is to provide safe access for boaters on Houghton Lake.”
People planning to visit either of these affected boating access sites is encouraged to regularly visit Michigan.gov/DNRClosures to view any possible changes to the reopening date. Additional information on other closures and trail detours in DNR facilities, including state trails, boat launches, parks and campgrounds, also are listed on this page.
This dredging project is funded through the Michigan State Waterways Fund. The restricted fund, which is derived from boat registration fees and the Michigan marine fuel tax, helps fund the construction, operation and maintenance of public recreational boating facilities.
For more information on the project, contact Josh Pellow at 989-273-7021 or PellowJ@Michigan.gov. Additional information on boating resources and opportunities is available at Michigan.gov/Boating.
