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ANNOUNCEMENTS & UPDATES
PROGRAM BACKGROUND
Most people, when they hear the word dam, they think of big hydropower dams, like the Hoover Dam. In addition, they begin thinking about the impact of dams. From generating electricity to blocking fish passage, the impacts of dams is varied and complex. Other impacts on a river include the blockage of natural sediment flow, the warming of impounded water, changes from a stream to lake ecosystem, and eutrophication, which can lead to a decrease in dissolved oxygen and poorer water quality.
In Michigan, we don’t have many large dams but to have thousands small dams (under 5 feet in height). Of increasing concern, is that most dams have a 50 year lifespan and by the year 2020, 80% of the dams in Michigan will be older than their intended lifespan. If they are not strategically managed and dams begin to fail, it could wreak havoc on the natural resources of Michigan.
DAM INVENTORY
As part of the Huron Pines Strategic Planning Process, the assessment and treatment of small dams ranks high on our priority list. Dams and their management are gaining momentum in the conservation community as an avenue through which great strides in resource management can be accomplished.
The first stage in implementing best management practices is to inventory, assess and prioritize each dam. There are many databases that contain incomplete inventories of dams in several of Michigan’s watersheds. Though these inventories will be helpful in assessing and prioritizing dams in our watersheds, they do not depict a complete picture of all of the resource impacts created by dams for each river and tributary. It may be the dams that are not highly regulated like low-head dams, or dams not producing hydroelectric power, that are having the greatest impact. Until a complete inventory and analysis of all dams in a given watershed is completed, their impact cannot be strategically prioritized and treated.
Additionally, Huron Pines is currently working with landowners who are seeking guidance about how best to deal with an aging or failing dam. The lessons learned from any dam removal project will continue to add to the breadth of knowledge and experience in the field, leading to better project selection, design, implementation and monitoring.
REMOVAL
After a comprehensive inventory is completed, Huron Pines will begin the second stage of the DAMS program. When removal is the best management practice on a dam and the dam has been identified as a priority site, Huron Pines will manage the removal project. This will involve raising funds and working with partners to restore the site.
 MILLER CREEK 2010
A landowner on Miller Creek in the Thunder Bay River Watershed has a dam that functions as a driveway and the dam is failing. Legally, the landowner has the right to repair and maintain the dam in perpetuity. However, the responsibility and risk of having the dam has outweighed its benefits. Huron Pines is currently pursuing funds to work with this landowner and facilitate the removal of the dam and the restoration of the stream. Though this dam was not yet prioritized through an inventory process, it is important for Huron Pines to seize a good opportunity and manage the removal of the dam, restoring the stream to a naturally functioning ecosystem.
EDUCATION
After receiving feedback from our key partners, Huron Pines identified another critical area to address in best managing dams--education. Dam management is a very new conservation topic and there are gaps in knowledge, even amongst resource and agency dam experts. Not only do dam owners and operators need to be educated, but the public and resource professionals each have a unique need for increased knowledge as well.
Keep an eye out for workshops and other educational opportunities. Be sure and check the Huron Pines Calendar for more information.
PROJECT BENEFITS
The benefits of the Huron Pines DAMS program are multi-tiered. Through the selection and implementation of high impact projects, the ultimate benefit is healthier watersheds and ecosystems with increasingly free-flowing rivers.
There is currently confusion in Northeast Michigan when it comes to where dam owners can turn for help with the management and/or removal of their dam. No one source has the ability to oversee the topic of dam removal in the broadest sense. As it stands now, there are many delineations within state and federal agencies to determine which department deals with which dam, or even which impact of each type of dam. So many questions influence the treatment of each dam: Is it a hydroelectric dam? Is it regulated within the state by DNRE? Am I liable if the dam fails? Can adjacent landowners sue me for taking it out? Is fish habitat negatively impacted? What happens to all of the sediment that has built up behind the dam?
Ultimately, the goal of this program is to remove prioritized fish passage barriers and help reduce the impact of poorly managed dams. The key components to achieving that goal include:
1. Inventorying, ranking, and prioritizing dams and other fish passage barriers for treatment.
2. Targeting projects that will have the highest level of impact on the health of our rivers, watersheds and overall region.
3. Educating dam owners and operators, the public, and other resource professionals.
4. Removing prioritized dams.
By continuing to develop the DAMS program, Huron Pines will become the hub of knowledge, expertise, and management capability for reducing the impacts of dams and other barriers in the streams of Northeast Michigan.
PARTNERS
• Michigan Fly Fishing Club
• Michigan Trout Unlimited
• US Fish and Wildlife
RESOURCES
Learn more about our September 2008 Dam Summit.
The Michigan Council of Trout Unlimited has a number of great resources on their website. To learn more about conservation topics, visit Conservation.
To view “Effects of Dam Removal on Fluvial Geomorphology and Fish (2007)” by Bryan A. Burroughs, visit:
To learn more about dams, visit:
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