Michigan Compiled Laws, Chapter 485. Canal, Harbor and River Improvement Companies § 485.8

Sec. 8. It shall be lawful for such company, their officers, engineers, and agents, to enter upon any lands for the purpose of exploring, surveying, and locating the route of any such canal, harbor, or the improvement of any such river or stream, doing thereto no unnecessary damage, and paying any damage which may accrue; but said company shall not locate any such canal through any orchard over 1 year old, or garden, without the consent of the owner, or through any building or fixtures, or any yard or enclosure necessary for the use and enjoyment thereof, without the like consent, and when the said route or improvement shall be established by the said company, it shall be lawful for them, their officers and servants to enter upon, take possession of, and use such lands, to the width of 200 feet, as said company shall have purchased or obtained from the owners or occupants the right to use, and also to take and use any other lands which may be necessary for the construction of said canal, or the improvement of the navigation of such river, or the erection of any locks, gates, toll-houses, or other fixtures, or the construction of any dam that may be necessary to raise the water for the purposes of washing out any channel or harbor: Provided, If such dam shall obstruct any channel navigable for vessels, it shall be made during the winter months and removed before the opening of navigation, the necessity for such taking, and the damages to be paid therefor being first ascertained, and such damages paid as hereinafter provided.