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Police warn of rising river levels due to heavy rain

Posted at 7:19 PM, Jun 24, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-25 05:36:35-04

LANSING, Mich. — Now that summer has started people may be anxious to get out on the water. But all the recent rain in Mid-Michigan has made river recreation a little riskier.

Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties all have concerns about the rising river levels. Police say they can make conditions less predictable and less safe for people trying to enjoy the water.

Paul Brogan owns Rivertown Adventures in downtown Lansing where he provides full-service kayak and canoe rentals for beginners and pros. But on Monday, he said he’s not letting anyone on the Grand River.

“When we experience really high rain events, typically the water levels can rise very quickly, which make things more dangerous and the stream flow increases dramatically and when we have an increased stream flow and high water levels the risks and the hazards go up that much greater,” Brogan said.

Brogan says generally the Grand River downtown Lansing is 10 to 13 feet deep.

On Monday, he said it’s nearly four feet deeper. That’s why he’s moving his customers to Fidelity Lake in Crego Park.

“We just want to give people a different option when we feel it’s unsafe to be on the river,” Brogan said. “We can still get you out there on the water and you can experience what paddling has to offer.”

Eaton County’s Marine Division joins in that warning.

“People underestimate their power to get out of dangerous situations and the power of the river that if you get caught in a strainer or something underneath the water the force of the water can hold you underneath and also we have dams here in Eaton County on the rivers,” Deputy Sheriff Troy Hansbarger said.

Those dams create dangerous boils that can suck vessels and people toward the face of the dam, he explained.

“With the marine division, there’s no boat designed to enter the dam. Some fire departments have what they call a recovery to recover boats and or people but unfortunately that would never be deployed in time to rescue them,” Hansbarger said.

Ingham County wants its residents to beware as well.

“There’s a lot of warnings and that type of stuff going around the state with the amount of water and rain we’ve had this spring and we just ask people to be cautious if they're going to enter specifically rivers right now and we’re supposed to get a bunch of rain later on today,” Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth said.

Barry County put out a warning for all activities on the Thornapple River. The Sheriff’s office said multiple people had to be rescued Sunday afternoon.

Eaton County shared advice if you plan on going in the river:
1. Never go in alone no matter how skilled you are.
2. Have a plan if things go wrong.
3. Never go out in the water intoxicated.
4. Use a navigation chart.
5. Wear a life vest, preferably one approved by the Coast guard.

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