Water
Dam failure raises questions for state waterways
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Eighty-eight Michigan dams have a high hazard status. More than 90 percent of state’s dams by 2020 will be older than 50.
Great Lakes Echo (http://greatlakesecho.org/tag/dams/)
Eighty-eight Michigan dams have a high hazard status. More than 90 percent of state’s dams by 2020 will be older than 50.
Mr. Great Lakes (Jeff Kart) reports from Bay City, Michigan’s Delta College Q-90.1 FM. This week, Kart discusses International Dark Sky Week and a dam removal project. Text at Mr. Great Lakes
In Cuyahoga Falls, two dams on the Cuyahoga River are coming down at no cost to the city. State officials say that will improve water quality and habitat for aquatic species, while city officials look forward to new opportunities for white-water kayaking and riverside development.
This week Mr. Great Lakes discusses dam investments, a nature photo contest and “solar-ready” communities in Michigan.
There are more than 2,600 dams in Michigan, many of which are not maintained and no longer serve a purpose.
The state recently targeted six for removal or repair.
Dam removal in the Great Lakes region exposes nutrient-rich bottomlands.
That creates prime real estate for invasive plants.
Restoration solutions include poisoning the invaders with pesticides and spreading native plant seeds to revegetate the bottomlands.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will spend $2.35 million on a dam management program in 2013, the first time the department has been granted money by the Legislature to address problems of aging dams.
One dam removed while a nearby dam with a sketchy safety record remains in southwest Michigan.
Experts say removal of the Boardman River dam is the biggest in Michigan history, and the largest-ever wetlands restoration in the Great Lakes region.
Lack of funding for dam repair or removal is an increasing concern as many across the state approach the end of their design life.
Built to last 50 years, more than 90 percent of the Michigan’s 2,580 dams will have exceeded that lifespan in the next few years.