Drawdown of the water level on Lake Orion is proposed to begin on Sept. 12.

Lowering the water level allows for inspection of the dam, shoreline stabilization and for property owners to repair or reconstruct existing seawalls.

Permits are necessary for work on the seawalls.Inspection and preservation of the shoreline is necessary as erosion is a naturally occurring process.

Eroding and deterioration of the shore is a result of several factors: rain, ice and wind; and man-made as in waves created by watercraft and the loss of vegetation and trees initiated by land development.

The Village of Lake Orion plans for a one-inch daily drawdown beginning on the proposed date, with a total drawdown of 36 inches.

Refilling the lake begins on Nov. 13 at a rate of two to three inches per day.

The village applied for the permit with the State of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Inland Lakes and Streams of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. – S.C.