Update: The drawdown was slightly delayed and began Sept. 28. It was originally scheduled to begin Sept. 26.

By Megan Kelley
Staff Writer
LAKE ORION — The Village of Lake Orion is expected to begin the drawdown on Lake Orion on Sept. 26 interim village manager D. Wayne O’Neal confirmed last week.
The water level for the lake is expected to lower about an inch a day and reach its lowest level by Oct. 17. The lake level will begin to be raised back up on Nov. 7.
“We know it’s late but we had a change in administration and it was one of those things that fell through the cracks,” O’Neal said.
The village traditionally performs a drawdown on the lake every five years to make it easier for residents to repair seawalls, docks and other maintenance.
The last lake drawdown was performed in 2017. The water level on Lake Orion is typically lowered about three feet during the five-year drawdown. The village also lowers the lake level about one foot each year for the normal winter mark.
Lake residents will have until the end of September to get their boats safely out of the water and will have at least three weeks to complete the work, O’Neal explained.
“It takes longer to refill the lake so they really have more than enough time to complete their projects,” O’Neal said. “This is good news for those that want the drawdown and not so good for those that want to use their boat as long as possible.”