Northern Michigan officials warned of increased flood risk and took emergency steps around the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex after heavy rain threatened to push river levels higher in an area still carrying the effects of record snowfall earlier in the season. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency Friday at the complex, citing elevated water levels, and there were no evacuations reported at the time of the report.
The Cheboygan dam situation centered on preventing a potential overflow and restoring equipment needed to manage flow. Crews were working Monday to restore power to a hydroelectric station that had been shut down since 2023, while additional actions were under way to move water through the dam.
Kathleen Lavey, a Michigan Department of Natural Resources public information officer, said officials had crews in place overnight to increase the flow through the complex. She said DNR crews, a utility provider and others were also using industrial wire trucked in from Illinois to help restart the shuttered hydroelectric station. Lavey described the work as aimed at putting the station back in service “to just move water through the dam,” while also explaining that five large pumps were operating to move water from behind the dam to the front.
As part of the effort to increase water passage, Lavey said more pumps also were being added to the Cheboygan Dam. She also described preparations involving the physical operation of the structure, saying crews were bringing a “giant crane” in and removing the gates of the dam, adding that “Even when the dam is open it helps the water flow when you take them off.”
County officials urged residents to take practical precautions as water levels were expected to remain a concern over several days. The Cheboygan County sheriff’s office said Monday on Facebook that people between the dam and Lake Huron should prepare a “go-bag” with medications, documents and other important items, monitor official updates, and “be ready to act.” Lavey said a public meeting was planned for Tuesday to update residents and business owners on the situation.
Outside the immediate Cheboygan area, officials across Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula were monitoring rivers tied to ongoing precipitation. National Weather Service meteorologist Trent Frey said a stalled weather front “kind of draped over the Great Lakes” was responsible for the rain, and he said a southwest flow across the United States would direct warm, moist air through the system. Frey said that “A flood watch is in effect for pretty much all of Northern Michigan,” adding that the rain threat could last much of the week.
Flood warnings also remained in place for parts of the region’s river basins into the weekend, including the Cheboygan River Basin, the Au Sable River and the Manistee River. Frey said flood gates had been opened at the Mio Dam along the Au Sable River in the northeastern Lower Peninsula and at the Tippy Dam on the Manistee River in western Michigan. He added that officials also had concerns along the Sturgeon River in Houghton County in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Some areas still had substantial snowpack on the ground, which officials said could contribute to runoff as temperatures and rainfall combined. Chris Van Arsdale, an emergency management coordinator for Houghton and Keweenaw counties, said that in addition to the rain, some areas still had about 15 to 30 inches (38 to 76 centimeters) of snow on the ground. Van Arsdale said officials were “definitely monitoring,” and that public works agencies were watching culverts for obstructions while tracking dam readings and river gauges.
Residents close to the water described taking steps to protect property as the system moved through. Ann Kessler’s Secrets on Main bed and breakfast in Cheboygan sits across the street from the Cheboygan River; the seasonal business, which she bought in 2024, was closed for winter and did not reopen until June. Kessler said she had been “kind of watching it remotely” while a friend checked on the property, saying the friend would put items from the yard into a garage so any water reaching the building would not add debris into floating material.