UPDATE - JULY 26, 2019: As of 8 AM this morning, the city had pumped 370,000 gallons of water since starting the pump on July 24. That in conjunction with evaporation had brought the water level down 0.6 inch. As of noon today, with evaporation and pumping, the level of the bog is down a total of 1 inch. The result is that the water has receded from the shoreline by one foot. The city will continue pumping in accordance with the regulations.
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On July 24, 2019, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) Water Resources Division issued Permit Number WRP017481 to the City of Portage. The permit allows the city to temporarily place an intake pipe in and pump surface water from the Hampton Creek Wetlands at 7877 Moorsbridge Road.
The city has begun pumping from the Hampton Creek Wetlands, which will continue for a period of 30 days. It is anticipated that approximately one million gallons a day may be pumped from the bog into the sanitary sewer system, which filters into the City of Kalamazoo wastewater treatment plant and eventually into the Kalamazoo River. The expectation is to reduce the bog by approximately 6 inches over the 30-day period. However, there are factors that might influence that, including rain events and groundwater levels. The 30-day pumping period is a short-term remedy and an experiment that will determine the ability to reduce water levels under current conditions.
On Tuesday, July 23, the City Council awarded a contract to perform an environmental impacts evaluation for the Hampton Creek Wetland Area to Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber, Inc. The project will include a study of various engineering options for a long-term solution to the high water problem in the area.
