What should be done with the Pucker Street dam in Niles?

If the Michigan Department of Natures Resources and Environment has its way, it will be no more.

At Monday’s Niles City Council meeting, Jay Wesley, a district fisheries biologist for the DNRE, said it has long been the position of the state to have the dam removed.

“Removal is the best option for the ecological health of the river,” he said, adding that it would help with fish migration, improving water quality and decreasing sediment.

Although removal would be expensive, Wesley said there are many federal grants available to help fund such a project, which the state could help the city obtain.

Wesley said there are thousands of unused dams across the state, and the DNRE is working to assist many dam owners in removal.

Dam owners typically pay between zero and 20 percent of the cost of removal, according to Wesley, although it often takes between one and five years to procure the funding.

Wesley pointed to two dams in Watervliet that will be removed at no cost to the village, as it was covered completely by grants secured with help from the state.

Mayor Mike McCauslin said the city has been receiving “mixed signals” from the state as the DNRE is claiming removal is the best option, while legislation has been made requiring the use of green power by municipalities.

McCauslin also said the decision will be difficult for the council, especially since there are several offers on the board from  developers, hoping to either buy the dam or partner with city in producing electrical power.

Peterson Machinery Sales out of Casa Grande, Ariz. and Hope Renewable Energy LLC out of Grand Rapids both presented proposals to the council last year.

Should the dam be used again to generate power, an expensive fish ladder might be necessary. Wesley said it would cost $250,000 per foot.

A committee of the whole meeting has been scheduled for Feb. 28 to further discuss the future of the dam.