Current Events
September 2025
September 15 – Association Board Meeting at Hamburg Township Senior Center – 7 – 9pm – All Welcome
October 2025
October 6 – Association Board Meeting at Hamburg Township Senior Center – 7 – 9pm – All Welcome
October 22 – Great Lakes Microplastics Summit – Virtual Event.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) invites you to save the date for the Great Lakes Microplastics Summit on October 22, 2025. This virtual one-day event will bring together researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders from across the region to network, share insights, and explore the latest findings regarding microplastics in both surface water and drinking water.
The summit will feature expert presentations on five key themes:
- Fate and Transport
- Sampling techniques
- Analytical methods
- Ecological and human health impacts
- Interactions with other contaminants
Whether you’re from a university, government agency, nonprofit, or simply interested in microplastics in the Great Lakes, this summit offers a valuable opportunity to connect, learn, and collaborate.
Mark your calendars and join us in advancing the conversation on microplastics in the Great Lakes region.
Stay tuned—registration details and agenda coming soon!
Michigan.gov/EGLEevents
November 2025
November 3 – Association Board Meeting at Hamburg Township Senior Center – 7 – 9pm – All Welcome
December 2025
December 1 – Association Board Meeting at Hamburg Township Senior Center – 7 – 9pm – All Welcome
December 5 –Make plans to join us online for the 2025 MiCorps Annual Conference. This one-day, free event will be held online on December 5 using Zoom. Join MiCorps volunteers and program staff from across Michigan to celebrate our accomplishments, share what we’re learning, and better understand the data we are generating through our collective efforts.The Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) hosts an annual volunteer monitoring conference each fall. The conference provides an excellent opportunity to stay up to date on monitoring methods and to meet and interact with other volunteer monitors. Participants join stream and lake monitoring volunteers and program coordinators from across Michigan to learn, network, and celebrate our collective achievements! The 2025 conference will be a free, ONLINE event. Save the date! More details to follow.
January 2026
January 5 – Association Board Meeting at Hamburg Township Senior Center – 7 – 9pm – All Welcome
January TBD – Master Rain Gardener Class On-Line
February 2026
February 3 – Association Board Meeting at Hamburg Township Senior Center – 7 – 9pm – All Welcome – The Zoom Meeting Link will be posted prior to the meeting.
March 2026
March TBD – CHAIN OF LAKES FAMILY DINNER –
March 17 – Association Board Meeting at Hamburg Township Senior Center – 7 – 9pm – All Welcome. Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: TBD
Passcode: TBD
March TBD – Washtenaw County Conservation District Spring Native Plant Sale
April 2026
April 7 – Association Board Meeting at Hamburg Township Senior Center – 7 – 9pm – All Members are Welcome. You can also join the Zoom Meeting below at –
Meeting ID: TBD
Passcode: TBD
April – TBD – Boaters Safety Class – Saturday 8am-3pm – Portage Yacht Club, 8930 Dexter-Pinckney Road
May 2026
May 4 – Association Board Meeting at Hamburg Township Senior Center – 7 – 9pm – All Members are Welcome – You can also join the Zoom Meeting below at – TBD
Meeting ID: TBD
Passcode: TBD
May 9 – Annual Association Meeting – Portage Yacht Club – 9am
June 2026
June 2 – Association Board Meeting at Hamburg Township Senior Center – 7 – 9pm – All Members are Welcome – You can also join the Zoom Meeting below at – TBD
Meeting ID: TBD
Passcode: TBD
July 2026
August 2026
August 4 – Association Board Meeting Zoom only – 7 – 9pm – Meeting only to finalize plans for the Annual Pizza Party
August 8 – Annual Pizza & Salad Party – 6pm – Portage Yacht Club – 8930 Dexter Pinckney Road – 734-426-4155 – We will have a guest speaker joining us, Gretchen Driskell, Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner.
August 21 – Shorefront Garden Tour (2 – 6 p.m). 7746 to 7788 Base Lake Drive, Dexter.
The Huron River Chain of Lakes Association is highlighting the Shorefront gardens of Webster Township on Thursday, August 21st (2 – 6 p.m) and Friday August 22nd (10a.m. – 3:30 p.m). We welcome you to visit the gardens and discover the many Michigan Native Plants available for your lawn, gardens and shorefronts.
For further information/details, email: [email protected]om.
August 22 Shorefront Garden Tour (10a.m. – 3:30 p.m). 7746 to 7788 Base Lake Drive, Dexter. For further information/details, email: [email protected]om.
Flook Dam Lake Level Adjustments
The lake level of Portage and Base Line lakes will be lowered again in November 2025 by Washtenaw County as it has been in the past. The lake level was legally established in 1949 to reduce ice damage and erosion to the shoreline. The legally established winter lake level range is between 50.04 and 850.29 feet above sea level. The lake level will begin to be increased in mid March 2026.
The Portage and Base Line Lake Level District includes lands in both Washtenaw and Livingston County. The district spans Dexter and Webster townships in Washtenaw County, and Hamburg and Putnam townships in Livingston County. For further information, contact the Water Resources office at 734-¬222-6860.
.At a July 28, 2025 townhall meeting with Jennifer Conlin and others, there was also an extensive conversation concerning EGLE’s consideration of changing the date that the water is lowered in the Huron Chain of Lakes in the fall (in the future, not this year). The date can only be changed by court order. The Flook Dam is the latest lowering of any water level in the state by court order that was set up in 1949. DNR is concerned about the impact of this late lowering on creatures that hibernate along the shoreline. DNR has a study out to determine what the impact is, if any. If there is determined to be an impact, then DNR may to go to the courts to request the lowering date be set earlier in the year. HRCOLA has requested a copy of the requirements for the study so we can better understand what they are looking at.
It is the opinion of the Board that the dates should not be changed without clear scientific evidence that an earlier drawdown is necessary to protect the environment of the Huron River Chain of Lakes. If that is the case, the date should be set to also minimize impact on use of the lake for recreational purposes.
Updates from Washtenaw County about the Dam are available here: Portage/Base Line Lakes | Washtenaw County, MI
Lake Level Lowering
Flook Dam Repairs
Washtenaw County has sold the bonds for the Flook Dam repairs and contracted to have the work completed during the summer and fall of 2025. Operation of the dam will not be impacted by the repairs.
Washtenaw County is posting its information about the dam repairs here.
Washtenaw County is projecting that the dam repair is to be completed in July 2025.
LEARN about lakes online course – free to pbwoa members
Any HRCOLA Member is welcome to take the MSU Extension Introduction to Lakes on-line course, pass the class and be reimbursed for entire cost of the class. This is a 6 Week Course that starts in January, 2025. Take a look at Introduction to Lakes Online – Natural Resources (msu.edu) for more information and learn about Watersheds, Aquatic Plants, Shorelines, Ecology, Laws, and Citizen Involvement. The deadline to register is 01/28/25 and the initial cost (which can be reimbursed) is $115.00. For reimbursement email a copy of your receipt and completion certificate to [email protected] with name and address for reimbursement check.
Boater Safety Class
Boater Safety Training is an investment in safer waters for all of us. Every spring HRCOLA sponsors the Boater Safety Class, offered by the Washtenaw County Sheriff Marine Division. Anyone born after 7-1-1996 MUST be certified to legally operate a boat on Michigan waters. This one-day course meets that requirement. There is no registration fee and lunch is provided at HRCOLA expense.
The class was held at the Portage Yacht Club on April 26, 2025 – 8am-3pm. Look for information here about the 2026. We expect to post it in the spring.
Pizza Party
Our annual pizza party will be held August 8, 2025 at 6 pm at Portage Yacht Club (8930 Dexter-Pinckney Road, Pinckney). HRCOLA Board members will be on hand to answer questions about the Flook Dam improvements, Wayne State Microplastics Study, dam lowering dates, and other issues of interest to HRCOLA members.
Volunteer
Water Quality Monitoring
Each spring and midsummer, HRCOLA volunteers check the water quality in our lakes. If you have a boat to access the set point on one of the lakes, we’ll train you to check the water clarity level and to take samples that we send to a lab to determine the amount of phosphorous in the water. We are currently looking for volunteers for Zukey and Strawberry Lakes. If you are interested helping or just learning more contact us [email protected].
Email Signup
HRCOLA sends email blasts announcing HRCOLA events such as the Annual Meeting and Pizza Party and providing information of interest to our members. We don’t do it too much, so you won’t be overwelmed. If you aren’t already on our email list (through an option on the membership signup portal) you can be added to our list my emailing us at [email protected], Give us your name and email and we will include in future emails.
Newsletter Committee
HRCOLA puts out a newsletter each spring and fall. The layout and printing are done by Econoprint. If you are interested in helping write, gather articles, and edit you are welcome to join our Newsletter Committee. Let us know by emailing us at [email protected] or by calling Mary Beth Timmerman at 517-851-2100.