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Federal energy regulators ordered immediate inspection steps for the Cheboygan Dam powerhouse in northern Michigan and other dam infrastructure after historic flooding last week raised concerns about potential dam failures. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said it directed the owner of the Cheboygan Dam powerhouse to report on measures to keep the unit operating safely after it was brought back into service as an emergency response to the high water.
In a Thursday letter, the commission ordered Hom Paper XI LLC to file a report no later than May 15 describing how it would keep the powerhouse operational. FERC said the Cheboygan Dam powerhouse had been offline since a 2023 fire, even though the agency had previously ordered the unit restarted, reducing how much water could flow through the dam during the recent flood risk.
FERC said crews raced last week to get the powerhouse operational and that, once online, the water behind the dam began to fall. The commission said, however, that the fix was only temporary and that Hom needed to make it permanent. In its letter, FERC told Hom to “work collaboratively with Michigan (Department of Natural Resources) to maintain appropriate flow levels through the operation of the bypass gates to ensure safety,” according to the AP report.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for 40 of the state’s 83 counties, as homes flooded across multiple parts of Michigan and evacuations were reported from Cheboygan County to the Muskegon area. Separately, state officials said they plan to inspect dams under their oversight for damage from the high waters that nearly overtopped several impoundments amid spring snowmelt and heavy rains.
Luke Trumble, Michigan’s dam safety chief with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, told Bridge Michigan that after similar flooding in 1986, “a couple of dams failed weeks later because they sustained damage that didn’t get adequately assessed.” Trumble’s warning underscored the focus on inspections not just during the peak of flooding but afterward, when damaged equipment and structures may pose longer-term risks.
In the Upper Peninsula, Trumble said dry skies over the weekend and into this week helped waters recede, but he warned the situation was not fully over. He said, “I wouldn’t say we’re 100% out of the woods,” adding that the UP still had “like 3 to 4 feet of snowpack” and could see conditions that resemble last week’s high-water period.
FERC also wrote Thursday to Black River Hydro, the owner of the Alverno, Tower and Kleber dams upstream from Cheboygan. The regulator ordered inspections after identifying several concerns during the flooding, including that the company had no engineers on-site, leaking at the Kleber weir, and erosion that required emergency riprap at Alverno.
The commission gave Black River Hydro 15 days to complete the inspections and return with a plan for any needed repairs. An official with the company could not be reached for comment, and Hom’s attorney, Tyler Tennent, did not respond to a message seeking comment.