DNR delays Prairie River decision

LANSING — Intensive lobbying resulted in a month’s delay by Department of Natural Resources director Dan Eichinger to change the designation of the Branch County portion of Prairie River from a warm stream to a cold stream to protect Brown trout.

The delay might not be good news for farmers along the portions of the river, which begins in Kinderhook township and flows to U.S. 12 near Mallow Farm west of Bronson.

Eichinger admitted to what those opposing the change argued — that the reclassification could mean the Branch County section of the Prairie River watershed “could reach an Adverse Resource Impact limit,” which would limit irrigation water use.

The director wanted the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to review the currently registered withdrawals and establish the actual quantity of water that is being used.

Eichinger indicated he wanted to make sure all water users in the basin were aware of the reclassification before he signed the order under the authority granted by the state in 2021.

Those in the Prairie Water Group opposing the change fear without current water in the basin, irrigation needed for specialty crops would be cut.

The group also wants the state to review recent historical data on the amount of water in the basin measured and established from both wells and the river.

At its Jan. 12 meeting of the Natural Resources Commission, the director urged water users to establish a Water Users Committee to seek solutions.

DNR officials speaking virtually at Branch County Commission meetings in December and January indicated the agency only looked at the protection of the fish species first stocked into the river in the 1980s. A study that ended in 2015 showed Brown trout was reproducing and growing in the Prairie River.

The DNR indicates if the water gets too low in the river, it warms, which would impede the trout from spawning.

Prior story DNR says only concern in Prairie River designation is brown trout survival

The Branch County Road Commission, in a resolution opposing the change passed Jan. 12, said: “The stream temperature data is limited and was collected without following the cited EPA protocols.”

The DNR position is it doesn’t have to consider the economic impact of the change, but only the protection of fish and fauna.

At its Jan. 5 meeting, the Branch County Commission passed a resolution opposing the change because of potential economic loss. It asked for state legislators to review the DNR action.

Last Thursday, the Branch County Road Commission sent a resolution to DNR opposing the change until it is assured the state met all federal soil erosion requirements.

Further, the road commission said it has received no assurances that the reclassifications of the Prairie River will not adversely affect the future replacement of cross culverts and bridge replacements. The three commissioners are concerned the county and townships are already severely short of funding to maintain their current roads.

“We cannot absorb any additional costs of converting existing road and drainage culverts to free-standing bridges or alternative structures” required to protect the ability of the fish to use the river, according to the resolution.

The road commission asked the director to reject the reclassification.

The commission also said the river was classified as a trout stream since 2006: “No stream flow depletion or detrimental water temperature changes have been observed or measured despite significantly increased irrigation in the watershed,” the road commission noted.

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This is the first stream in the state to face reclassification under the new rules. Members of the Prairie Water Group are preparing for a legal challenge if the change is approved. It is also seeking help from others in the state that may see reclassification of their rivers.

The issue is expected to come up again at the Feb. 9 meeting of the Natural Resources Commission.

— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DReidTDR.

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: DNR delays Prairie River decision for a month for EGLE input