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30-487: Belleville Lake is an artificial reservoir created by the hydroelectric French Landing Dam and Powerhouse in 1925. The lake was originally named Edison Lake, because the dam was constructed by the Detroit Edison Company . When the lake was created, it flooded out the historic community of Rawsonville , which had few remaining structures and residents by this time. The historic community was dedicated as

60-485: A Michigan State Historic Site on October 27, 1983. A historic marker was erected at the intersection of Rawsonville Road and Grove Road. The community of Rawsonville continues to exist as an unincorporated community with little relation to the historic community. The French Landing Dam and Powerhouse is also listed as a Michigan State Historic Site, as is the John C. Stellwagen House. The lakefront Stellwagen House lost

90-406: A historic cement roadway that was constructed in 1904. The original poisoning project was voted to continue after a brief hiatus. Rotenone was airdropped by helicopter for the first time in the state to eliminate the carp population. It resulted in a large cleanup project that resulted in 850,000 pounds (390,000 kg) of dead fish carcasses, of which 95% were carp. The bridges were repaired, and

120-635: A larger roadway was needed for the growing community and traffic. At the time, the bridge was a potential candidate for entry on the National Register of Historic Places , but its replacement was necessary and forfeited any future historic designations. The original bridge was dismantled and sold to Kent County . It replaced the former Burroughs Street Bridge and currently spans the Flat River in Vergennes Township just north of

150-553: A maximum depth of 30 feet (9.1 m) near the eastern end but much shallower toward the western end. The lake continues the flow of the Huron River, beginning approximately at Rawsonville Road and meandering to Haggerty Road—roughly parallel south of Interstate 94 .   Ford Lake is a short distance upstream from Belleville Lake, which itself is a reservoir created by the Ford Lake Dam . The two lakes are separated by

180-479: A portion of its property when the lake was flooded, but the original house remains standing. Belleville Bridge was built in 1925 to carry Belleville Road across the newly formed lake. It was 120 feet (36.6 m) long and was one of the state's few riveted camelback pony truss bridges . Located just north of the community center, it was vitally important for residents of the area to access U.S. Route 12 and eventually Interstate 94 connecting to Detroit. In 1985,

210-478: A short one-mile (1.6 km) stretch of the Huron River. Belleville Lake is mostly surrounded by Van Buren Township within Wayne County. The city of Belleville is centered along the lake on the southern coast. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources also lists a very small portion of Belleville Lake crossing the county line at Rawsonville Road into Ypsilanti Township to the west. Belleville Lake

240-420: A temporary ban on the use of rotenone in the future. In September 1973, Belleville Lake was partially drained as a plan to poison an increasing common carp population that was viewed as an invasive species for competing with native fish species. The lake was going to be drained, because less poison would be needed with less water. Ford Lake Dam was closed to eliminate the water supply to Belleville Lake, and

270-601: Is a hydroelectric gravity dam and powerhouse crossing the Huron River in Van Buren Charter Township in Wayne County in the state of Michigan . The dam and the powerhouse were completed in 1925 by the Detroit Edison Company on land previously purchased in 1910. The dam and powerhouse were designated as a Michigan State Historic Site on February 18, 1982. The French Landing Dam

300-417: Is a popular recreational site for boating, personal watercraft, canoeing/kayaking, and fishing. There are several lakefront parks, including Doane's Landing, French Landing Park, Horizon Park, and Van Buren Park. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources operates two public boat launches along the lake. The Belleville Lake–West access point is located on Rawsonville Road along the lake's western edge, and

330-504: Is about 28 miles (45 km) from the river mouth at Lake Erie . It is the second-to-last of the 17 dams along the 130-mile-long (210 km) Huron River, approximately 7.9 miles (12.7 km) downstream from the Ford Lake Dam and 18.4 miles upstream from the Flat Rock Dam . When the dam was completed, the resulting reservoir created Belleville Lake and subsequently led to the destruction of the village of Rawsonville . When completed,

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360-399: Is also home to Willow Run Airport , which extends into neighboring Ypsilanti Township . In 1800, settler Henry Snow came and settled on what is now the border with Ypsilanti Township , Washtenaw County which was originally called Snow's Landing . A settlement of the Huron River received a post office on May 7, 1834, with the name of West Huron and postmaster Scott Vining. The township

390-612: Is land and 2.09 square miles (5.4 km ) (5.80%) is water. As of the census of 2000, there were 23,559 people, 9,867 households, and 6,117 families residing in the township. The population density was 694.9 inhabitants per square mile (268.3/km ). There were 10,417 housing units at an average density of 307.3 per square mile (118.6/km ). The racial makeup of the township was 82.64% White , 12.03% African American , 0.54% Native American , 1.87% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 0.51% from other races , and 2.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.25% of

420-553: Is present, prolonged contact with the water is not advised, although occasional contact with PFOS is not considered a health concern. Regardless of water quality, swimming is not a common recreational activity on the lake. When algae levels reach a high enough level to pose a threat, a "Do Not Eat" fish advisory is issued and posted at all access points along the lake. Boating and fishing are still allowed, but fishermen are advised to catch and release only. French Landing Dam and Powerhouse The French Landing Dam and Powerhouse

450-733: The Belleville Lake–East access point is located along the eastern-central portion of the lake on East Huron River Drive. The two boat launches are administered and maintained by Maybury State Park to the north. Belleville Lake is a very popular fishing destination. Common fish species include bluegill , catfish ( black bullhead , brown bullhead , yellow bullhead , and channel catfish ), common carp , black crappie , large and smallmouth bass , muskellunge (including tiger muskellunge ), northern pike , rock bass , silver bass , suckers , sunfish , walleye , and yellow perch . Many of these species are routinely stocked and monitored by

480-521: The French Landing Dam was opened further to allow the water to drain. The lake was only drained by about one-third before engineering failures caused two bridges to crack and a gas line to rupture due to the ground shifting. The water level was not lowered any further. The shallower western edge of Belleville Lake was drained completely, uncovering decades of debris and garbage, which included old safes, firearms, automobiles, sunken boats, and

510-554: The French Landing Park, which is a popular destination for picnickers and shore fishermen. This Wayne County, Michigan location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a dam or floodgate in the United States is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Van Buren Township, Michigan Van Buren Township is a charter township in Wayne County in

540-689: The Huron River and connects to Wayne County's eastern communities along the Detroit River . Belleville Lake often experiences algal blooms late in the summer, which must be frequently tested to determine their level of toxicity. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services monitors the water quality and issues advisories when the bacteria levels in the water may pose a health threat. Most algal blooms are green algae and pose no threat, but accumulating cyanobacteria and perfluorooctanesulfonatecan (PFOS) can result in harmful algal blooms that can have negative health affects. When this bacteria

570-592: The Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Belleville Lake is one of the few inland lakes in southeastern Michigan with an established population of the invasive round goby , which are now integrated into the lake's ecosystem and spreading to other areas of the Huron River. Smaller fish routinely caught or netted include brook silverside , emerald shiner , golden shiner , logperch , spotfin shiner , spottail shiner , and white perch . According to one study, bluegill amounted to 61% of total catches on

600-411: The U.S. state of Michigan . A western suburb of Detroit , Van Buren Township is located roughly 28 miles (45.1 km) southwest of downtown Detroit , and 17 miles (27.4 km) southeast of Ann Arbor . As of the 2020 census , the township had a population of 30,375. It surrounds, but is independent of, the city of Belleville . Belleville Lake is a principal geographic feature, and the township

630-411: The average family size was 2.96. In the township the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 36.2% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.8 males. The median income for a household in the township

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660-543: The city of Lowell at 42°57′56.6″N 85°21′03.6″W  /  42.965722°N 85.351000°W  / 42.965722; -85.351000 . The new Belleville Bridge shares no resemblance and is now a four-lane, three-span reinforced concrete bridge located at 42°12′41.7″N 83°29′33.9″W  /  42.211583°N 83.492750°W  / 42.211583; -83.492750 .   In May 1973, thousands of fish in Belleville Lake were accidentally killed by

690-473: The lake was soon refilled and stocked with more native game species of fish. Belleville Lake is an elongated reservoir that flows about 8 miles (12.9 km) through the central portion of Van Buren Township . The lake has a surface area of 1,270 acres (5.14 km) and sits at an elevation of 650 feet (200 m) above sea level. Belleville Lake mostly follows the original path of the Huron River, which serves as its primary inflow and outflow. The lake has

720-457: The lake. Belleville Lake has numerous listings on the state's Master Angler Entries. The largest fish listed is a common carp at 36.50 inches (92.71 cm) with other similarly sized carps also listed. A channel catfish is also listed at 33.25 inches (84.46 cm) and a largemouth bass at 25.75 inches (65.41 cm). The Border-to-Border Trail also passes along Belleville Lake and connects to Michigan's Iron Belle Trail, which follows along

750-408: The population. There were 9,867 households, out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and

780-437: The powerhouse had a hydroelectric generating capacity of 12.7 kilowatt hours . The powerhouse was decommissioned in 1962. In 1981, the property was donated to the township, restored, and put back into service in 1988 and is still operational. The powerhouse currently has a capacity of 1.7 MW . The powerhouse facility and the dam are off limits to the public, but the surrounding area along Haggerty Road has been organized as

810-519: The use of rotenone upstream in Ford Lake . Rotenone was used in Ford Lake to eliminate fish populations in a restocking effort. Ford Lake Dam was blocked off to prevent the poison from entering Belleville Lake, but the dam accidentally opened and released the poison. This resulted in the unplanned killing of up to 350,000 pounds (160,000 kg) of fish in Belleville Lake, and the state issued

840-529: Was $ 50,984, and the median income for a family was $ 60,561. Males had a median income of $ 44,867 versus $ 30,299 for females. The per capita income for the township was $ 24,820. About 4.4% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over. Auto parts maker Visteon is based in Van Buren Township. A factory for electric vehicle lithium iron phosphate batteries

870-718: Was formed by the State in 1835 and was soon renamed for Martin Van Buren , then vice president of the US. The post office name was also changed. On November 14, 1838, the Van Buren post office was moved to Rawsonville and assumed that name. On October 25, 1895, the Rawsonville post office was closed, only to reopen on November 20, 1895, and to close again on February 28, 1902. In 1925, the French Landing Dam and Powerhouse

900-484: Was put in place on the Huron River, placing most of the Rawsonville village under water of the new Belleville Lake . The only visual sign of the historic community is a historical marker at the intersection Rawsonville and Grove Road. According to the United States Census Bureau , the township has a total area of 36.06 square miles (93.39 km ), of which 33.97 square miles (87.98 km )

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