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MARQUETTE -- Several area dams were approved for grant funding to help reduce risks and protect residents, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy's Dam Safety Unit announced.
The funding comes from the Dam Risk Reduction Grant Program, which the Michigan Legislature approved in 2022.
The grant program aims to provide private owners with resources for proper management of existing dams and reduce the overall risk of dam failure in the state.
About $15.3 million is authorized for work ranging from dam removal to critical maintenance.
Upper Peninsula communities are awardees.
In the Marquette area, A. Lindberg & Sons Inc. was awarded $473,724 for a partial removal of what is considered the hazardous Carp River Intake Dam. The upper portion of the spillway will be removed, lowering the reservoir an additional 10 feet and greatly reducing the risk to health and habitat.
It could also lower the overall hazard classification of the dam.
The Michigamme River Basin Authority was awarded $750,000 for the removal and subsequent construction of a rock arch rapids at the significant-hazard, poor-condition Republic Dam.
The new structure is designed to handle flooding events but also allow for river connectivity with a series of step pools in the rock arch rapids.
The Forest Lake Property Owners Association in downstate’s Alger, which is part of Arenac County, was awarded $2,320,497 for the rehabilitation of the now failed Forest Lake Dam due to a May 2020 flooding disaster.
These funds were appropriated from Section 309 of 2022 PA 53 for communities directly impacted by the flooding.
The money will be used to rehabilitate the structure and bring the dam back into regulation with Part 315 provisions.
EGLE announced that additional funding opportunities will be available for dam risk reduction and will be announced publicly when they are ready for applicants.
State Rep. Jenn Hill, D-Marquette, said in a statement, “As recent events have shown us, if our dams fail, it can have profound impacts on both our communities and surrounding habitats. These common-sense investments will help safeguard the U.P.’s precious natural resources for us and future generations to enjoy. I will continue to advocate in the Legislature for more funding like this to repair and strengthen our region’s water infrastructure.”