Boardman River
Encyclopedia
The Boardman River flows into the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay
in Traverse City, Michigan
. The Boardman's upper tributaries rise near Kalkaska, Michigan
, and its watershed drains an area of 295 square miles (764 km²) through 130 miles (209.2 km) of river and tributaries. The Boardman River is considered one of the top ten trout
streams in Michigan
. Before entering the Grand Traverse Bay, it becomes Boardman Lake, a natural lake that was originally 259 acres (1 km²) in size and increased to 339 acres (1.4 km²) after the Union Street Dam was constructed in 1867.
After flowing through Boardman Lake, the river descends through downtown Traverse City, following a hairpin-shaped course to Grand Traverse Bay. This Traverse City section of the Boardman River is accessible by motorboat from the lakeshore up to a weir
upstream from the lakeshore. A short distance upstream from the weir is the Union Street Dam, a small decommissioned mill dam located between Cass and Union Streets.
Three of the dams on the river are going to be removed: Sabin, Boardman and Brown Bridge.
Grand Traverse Bay
Grand Traverse Bay is a bay of Lake Michigan formed by part of Northern Michigan. The bay is long, 10 miles wide, and up to deep in spots. It is divided into two arms by the Old Mission Peninsula...
in Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse...
. The Boardman's upper tributaries rise near Kalkaska, Michigan
Kalkaska, Michigan
Kalkaska is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2,226. It is the county seat of Kalkaska County.-Geography:...
, and its watershed drains an area of 295 square miles (764 km²) through 130 miles (209.2 km) of river and tributaries. The Boardman River is considered one of the top ten trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
streams in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Before entering the Grand Traverse Bay, it becomes Boardman Lake, a natural lake that was originally 259 acres (1 km²) in size and increased to 339 acres (1.4 km²) after the Union Street Dam was constructed in 1867.
After flowing through Boardman Lake, the river descends through downtown Traverse City, following a hairpin-shaped course to Grand Traverse Bay. This Traverse City section of the Boardman River is accessible by motorboat from the lakeshore up to a weir
Weir
A weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top...
upstream from the lakeshore. A short distance upstream from the weir is the Union Street Dam, a small decommissioned mill dam located between Cass and Union Streets.
Three of the dams on the river are going to be removed: Sabin, Boardman and Brown Bridge.