Local residents gathered on Monday, March 3, at Lowell City Hall for a meeting to discuss the clean up of invasive plants in the Flat River.
The group Lowell Friends of the Flat was officially organized as a non-profit in October 2024, and its purpose is to clear the Flat River of an overgrowth of Eurasian Milfoil among other weeds that are currently clogging the portion of the river near the downtown area.
The group recently hired Solitude Lake Management to do the job. Lowell resident Rich Perry is a representative with the company and will be working directly as a liaison for the group. Solitude plans to strategically administer chemicals to the river as a treatment to get rid of the plant growth.
There was discussion about whether and which Flat River residents need to give permission for the area directly in front of their properties to be treated. Perry said property owners need to give permission to get a permit through the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, but signatures are not necessary to administer the treatment overall.
“We don’t need everybody’s signature on it,” Perry said. “It’s a river. It flows this way. If you live in the middle and both your neighbors upstream sign, it’s going to come down.”
Representatives from King Milling Company and the City of Lowell attended the meeting and said they approve of the plan to treat the river. King Milling owns the islands in the Flat River and also certain banks on the river’s edge.
Perry will be sending a form to residents who live along the river to get their permission for the permit. Though it is not anticipated, it is unclear what will happen if there is dissent among the residents regarding the treatment.
Perry said notifications will go out to residents seven days prior to each treatment. It is anticipated there will be two or three treatments that will begin in April. Perry said his company will do as many applications as needed to solve the problem, and the weeds will decompose after treatment. It is unknown currently if treatments will need to be done every year.
There should be no conflict with the kayaking portion of the Lowell triathlon set to take place June 21.
Craig Fonger, president of Lowell Friends of the Flat, said the treatments will be funded on a year-to-year basis. To help with that, the Board voted to create an endowment through the Grand Rapids Community Foundation large enough so that the interest would pay for the treatment of the river. Fonger said fundraising will be geared toward the goal of raising $500,000. This will negate any need to fund treatments and ask residents for money each year. The anticipated cost for this year’s treatment is approximately $14,000. According to the board secretary, the current balance in the group’s account is $2,526.
Other business discussed was whether to involve local politicians in the clean-up cause. Mayor Mike DeVore, who is on the Friends of the Flat board, recommended contacting Michigan House Representative Gina Johnsen as she is on the environmental committee and Michigan Senator Thomas Albert.
The group also has a phone account with the contact number of 616-306-6696.
Local fundraising plans include advertising on t-shirts that will display the group’s QR code and attending local events such as the Community Expo on March 22, the Sizzlin’ Summer Concert Series, and the Lowell Riverwalk and Harvest celebrations. The group also voted unanimously to have a presence at the Lowell Pride Celebration on June 7.
The next Friends of the Flat meeting is April 7 at 6 pm at City Hall. Meetings are open to the public.
Leave a Reply