Easley Speaks to Grove Rotary

Kevin Easley, CEO of the Grand River Dam Authority, said this week "there will be no more fish kills on my watch," saying that a GRDA employee from the Pryor office had been brought over to work full time on fishing tournaments and safeguards for the fish.
He outlined several items of interest to the Rotary group Wednesday, including:
--Some 40 old sinking boat docks had been hauled off in the past six months and the sinking dock at Ballerina Point near Sailboat Bridge will see activity "real soon."
--There can be no more trees chopped down on the shoreline, an issue with multiple government agencies such as DEQ, the Corps, and Dept. of Interior. Any tree removal or dredging operation will need to have mitigation in order to be approved.
--The seeding of 20,000 pounds of millet for fowl needs an alternative, to avoid dropping the lake level every August to 741.
--A Shoreline Management Plan is 10 years overdue and will be put together this year by an outside consulting firm (Kleinscmidt) which will be seeking stakeholder input on issues. Wildlife areas will be outlined and carrying capacity studies (counting boats) will be done. The study will take 18-24 months to complete and there will be winners and losers, but it must be done to comply with FERC.
--GRDA has $60 million in cash reserves, up from $27 last year.
--GRDA is doing a lot more partnerships, with such groups as the Power Squadron, Waterwatch, etc. and is ready and willing to do more.
--Regarding the Miami lawsuits, GRDA is working on a solution with flowage easements included and is ongoing.