Traverse City resident, Donald Balcom, 89, admitted guilt in the 13th Circuit Court in Leelanau County Monday to a felony charge related to the repeated sinking of a barge in Lake Michigan.
The charge, ruled on by Charles Hamlyn, pertains to the discharge of injurious substances into the state’s waters, a twoyear felony.
The conviction follows a series of events triggered by the barge’s initial sinking in November 2020, which resulted in the release of oil into Lake Michigan. Sentencing for Balcom has been deferred for 12 months, during which time he must relocate the barge to a legal and permanent location. Failure to comply will result in sentencing for the felony charge. The charge will be converted to a misdemeanor offense if he complies.
The barge, currently situated partly on state-owned Lake Michigan bottomlands and partly on private land north of Suttons Bay, was towed ashore last year following the issuance of seven criminal charges against Balcom in June. These charges came after years of engagement by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) in attempts to address the issue of the sunken industrial barge and the contamination it posed to Grand Traverse West Bay.
Attorney General Nessel said in a press release the significance of the case, stating, “I relaunched the environmental crimes unit in my office to prosecute egregious offenses against our State’s natural resources, and I am pleased to announce this conviction.”
She reiterated the need for the barge to be moved to a legal location to avoid sentencing.
“This matter is not yet resolved,” Nessel said. “We have made it abundantly clear he cannot treat the bay as his own personal junkyard, and if he does not resolve the issue, the State will.”
