Lake Level Control Structure (LLCS)
The LLCS was built in the 1950's to help maintain the lake’s legal level under Part 307 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. The concrete structure sits on the northwest side of the lake on the Grand Lake Outlet. The delegated authority responsible for maintaining the structure and the legal lake level is the Presque Isle County Drain Commissioner.
Normal/Legal Lake Level: 593 .69 feet NAVD88
Special Assessment District
Under Part 307 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, special assessments are the funding mechanism to pay for the costs associated with maintaining the legal lake level and LLCS. For Grand Lake, this will consist of all parcels that “benefit” from the legal lake level (generally, parcels with private legal access to the lake) - including township and state-owned parcels and boat launches. The special assessment district for Grand Lake was established on December 22, 2025.
Click the button to learn more about special assessment districts.
Grand Lake is one of the largest inland lakes in Michigan, spanning almost 6,000 acres. The lake is fed by three small creeks on the west shore: Warren, Schaut and Schalks. Water flowing from Grand Lake moves through the Grand Lake Outlet directly to Lake Huron. A low-hazard lake level control structure stands 4 feet high on the Grand Lake Outlet to help maintain the lake’s legal level.
Lake Level Special Assessment Information
There are two proposed assessments for Grand Lake.
1. Establishment and Compliance Assessment (2026) | $250,000
The Establishment and Compliance Assessment will be a one-year assessment to cover costs for updating the lake level order in circuit court and establishing boundaries of a special assessment district.
2. Operations and Maintenance (2026-2028) | $24,000
The Operations and Maintenance Assessment will be a three-year assessment to cover costs for ongoing operations and maintenance of the legal lake level, including required inspections of the lake level control structure.
Parcels are assessed based on the benefit it receives from the lake using these factor categories: Access type, property type, and lake frontage.
Access Type | Factor Weight |
|---|---|
Direct Access | 1 |
Indirect Access | 0.5 |
Keyhole/Shared Access <100 Members (Hilltop Subdivision) | 0.25 |
Keyhole/Shared Access > 100 Members (Presque Isle Harbor Association) | 0.1 |