wixom lake ,michigan

[Xraywolf]

As is well known, lake is no more due to dam failure.
Seems to me that would offer some pretty unique opportunities for metal detecting, I assume there are some beaches on the former lake ?

 

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[Mackaydon]

Yes there are, as seen here:

[FONT=&quot]Larry Woodard, president of the Wixom Lake Association, looks at what remains after the Edenville damn collapsed on Tuesday, May 19.
Don.......[/FONT]

 

[Xraywolf]

I would be all over that if I was closer, too much of a drive for me ,,, Plus I imagine even getting close might be a challenge, if not impossible without someone who knows the lay of the land and the backroads.
[looked on google maps and sure couldn't id any beaches,maybe 1 close to the dam]

 

[Kray Gelder]

As is well known, lake is no more due to dam failure.
Seems to me that would offer some pretty unique opportunities for metal detecting, I assume there are some beaches on the former lake ?

Not to mention old home sites. Seems like an opportunity. Good luck!

 

[Xraywolf]

Looks like a decent sized beach here, just upstream from the former dam. Man, what an opportunity that would be, to detect a drained lake.

Like I said though, may be difficult to impossible to get there, people are evacuating in droves and the infrastructure is a wreck, the region had been declared a disaster area. I thought this was the boonies but it looks upscale with lots of development, so odds are they closed off roads with checkpoints to guard against looting. You'd almost have to be a local to have any chance right now.

 

[TheGreenBoy]

Couple of years ago, a smaller power plant lake in my neighbourhood was drained due to maintainance works. The lake floor was mud and fine sand with larger caverns inside, and quite dangerous and unstabile. A few guys have died due to na accident, than the acces was banned. Just something to think about.

 

[Xraywolf]

Couple of years ago, a smaller power plant lake in my neighbourhood was drained due to maintainance works. The lake floor was mud and fine sand with larger caverns inside, and quite dangerous and unstabile. A few guys have died due to na accident, than the acces was banned. Just something to think about.

A beach should by default be safe to the swim line at least, sure it would be risky to go generally prowling around a recently drained lakebed.
Never seriously considered it because its too far [over 300 mile round trip] and I don't exactly have loads of free time, I am working full time. But even if I wasn't, I wouldn't make the attempt for moral reasons. Many people have been forced to evacuate their homes during a pandemic no less, some even lost their homes and all of their possessions and are essentially instantly homeless. I'd feel like a crass scavenger going to an impacted region just to treasure hunt.

 

[A2coins]

Good point ... I agree

 

[releventchair]

It might be a wait and see.
With waterfront owners wanting the reservoir back , if enough funds arise to re-dam it ...Or if the dams owner gets forced into recompense ...The "lake" may return.
If not , then in time it will dry more and in time perhaps offer some detecting when residents recover.

Currently I'd expect a lot of silt and unstable mucky areas enough to not want waders out in it.

Bottles ect. might be scattered far downstream.
Sanford dam was breached too...

 

[BigRay]

They lowered the flowage in my state to fix dams. NOBODY was allowed to venture out an detect or dig. Safety was one reason. State felt what was there belonged there.

 

[BigRay]

They also drew down the peshtigo river. Again nobody could go look or detect. The great fire that was same day as chicago fire happened an most jumped in river to save them selfs. Some lived or drowned. Its was said to be off limets. Anybody cought would be fined.

 

[Mackaydon]

Here's an area of where the lake once was to MD: "....[FONT=&quot] check out "Pontoon Alley", a local and very popular area to spend the afternoon on Wixom Lake! Pontoon Alley boasts a shallow, sandy bottom, [/FONT][FONT=&quot]swimming area [/FONT][FONT=&quot]with a very festive atmosphere!"
Don......[/FONT]

 

[Xraywolf]

I would think if able, the beach is being pounded as we speak by locals, and thats as it should be

 

[sonofdust]

Cops done made the threat and locked the area down.

 

[Xraywolf]

Cops done made the threat and locked the area down.

Hmmm ok well, any chance you can elaborate out of curiosity ?

 

[mike b]

Super Storm Sandy was a great opportunity here to detect, I didn't go for over six months because I thought it would be a slap in the face to the people who lost everything and half of everything they lost was in the water. It wouldn't look good to home owners pumping out basements and bulldozing their yards if I was out digging things that came from their homes. I never held it against the guys that told me later that they found a lifetime of gold & silver during those months but I never regretted not going myself to this day.

 

[Xraywolf]

Super Storm Sandy was a great opportunity here to detect, I didn't go for over six months because I thought it would be a slap in the face to the people who lost everything and half of everything they lost was in the water. It wouldn't look good to home owners pumping out basements and bulldozing their yards if I was out digging things that came from their homes. I never held it against the guys that told me later that they found a lifetime of gold & silver during those months but I never regretted not going myself to this day.

No, just not the thing to do, I know I'd feel like a carpetbagger and people would look at me as one ,,, Though as per the OP, my only real interest would have been the beach area. But people there are hard at work cleaning up and salvaging, would be very bad optics to be out there swinging for rings while all that is going on.
That said, I wish the locals well recovering what they can, when they can.
This guy made a good drone video of the devastation of the area for anyone interested

 

[1637]

i saw a guy detecting the site of a car wreck that people died it.i thought that was in poor taste.this sounds like the same thing. the guy might have been investigator or something like that.i would just leave those people alone and stay away.
brad

 

[Toecutter]

Xraywolf the guy in that video posted a update video and said the lake bed is private property....

 

[Xraywolf]

Would stand to reason that the authorities would not want people wandering around on the lakebed, private or not.
All I can say is if I was a local I would have been pounding the beach area until booted off.