A twice-sunken Lake Michigan barge that raised environmental concerns has now been relocated to a legal location, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
The barge’s owner, Donald Lewis Balcom, 90, of Traverse City, pled guilty last April in the 13th Circuit Court in Leelanau County to one count of Water Resources Protection Violation for Discharge of Injurious Substances to Waters of the State, a two-year felony. The charge stemmed from a November of 2020 incident, when the barge sank and released oil into Lake Michigan.
Under a deferred sentencing agreement, Balcom was given until June 27, 2025, to relocate the barge to a legal location, which would convert his felony conviction to one count of Watercraft Pollution – Littering from Vessel, a 92-day misdemeanor.
