Efforts to save Michigan's Cheboygan Dam continue

CHEBOYGAN, Mich. — Water levels at the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex rose again overnight to what appears to be their highest level yet, coming within 6.6 inches of the crest of the dam, according to state officials.

The increase, measured at 9 a.m. Wednesday, represents a change of about 1.4 inches from 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The National Weather Service forecasts scattered showers and thunderstorms throughout the day and into the night in northern lower Michigan, including in Cheboygan County. But the weather service said severe storms are not anticipated.

Several roadways are underwater and closed in the region as inland lakes and waterways upstream of the dam rise, and after a levee breach at the Little Black River watershed, which is located northwest and separate from the Cheboygan Dam.

While crews have been working to bring online a hydroelectric portion of the complex, the state also has been building up the main dam structure; reinforcing the northwest side with an aqua dam and giant sandbags; removing massive gates from the spillway; and installing several pumps to move water in a controlled way around the dam. On Tuesday, crews installed two large, red 24-inch pumps to increase water movement around the dam.

If the dam does fail, officials hope to channel the breach to the southeast side, where a rocky slope is less likely to erode than the grassy slope on the northwest side.

Some residents and commercial businesses along the riverfront have been told to be prepared to evacuate. But officials are hopeful that the seawall along the river, downstream of the dam, will contain most flooding to a limited area.

Northwest of the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Structure, at least one levee at the Little Black River watershed was breached Tuesday evening, causing massive flooding across a golf course and some roadways. Residents in low-lying areas around the levee, which is separate from the Cheboygan dam system, were told to evacuate.

Cheboygan businesses, residents watching 'dam rescue' closely

Most businesses along Cheboygan’s Main Street, parts of which are in the potential flood plain should the dam fail, have closed their doors.

Several have barricaded their entrances with sandbags in an effort to block rushing water from entering the storefronts.

But Kevin Kemper, owner of Melody’s Lane and The Bookstore, wasn’t quite to that point as he awaited deliveries at his store late Wednesday morning.

Kemper said he’s watching the water closely to determine when to close up, but was encouraged by a public meeting Tuesday night, where state and local officials said any potential downstream flooding from the dam was expected to be limited.

“I’m not one to sit at home and wait to see what happens,” he said.

Just last month, a winter storm shuttered his bookstore and he missed several deliveries that were a chore to reorder. He’s hopeful that won’t happen again, but is also ready should an official evacuation order be issued for his business.

“This is my whole livelihood basically,” he said.

Cheboygan County Sheriff Todd Ross noted Tuesday night that the potential evacuation zone downstream of the dam is largely made up of commercial and industrial businesses.

On the east side of the dam, Laurie Romanow lives in a home perched above the dam, access to which has been barricaded by police in recent days. Romanow's home gives her a clear view of the rushing waters exiting the dam as well as a constant rotation of lights and worker traffic, she said.

“There’s very few residences in that area and the residences that are there have been contacted," Ross said.

Because her home sits above the dam, she has yet to receive an evacuation notice, Romanow said.

“People are saying it's going to go over,” Romanow said. “But it looks pretty good from where I’m at. Those guys have been doing an amazing job. They’re working day and night.”

Others in the community have also been expressing their appreciation, posting signs along the roadway thanking workers for “coming to our dam rescue.”

Cheboygan Dam's idled hydroelectric equipment slows floodwater release

State officials said they are working around the clock to fully restart the hydroelectric portion of the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex to increase the volume of water passing through the waterway in downtown Cheboygan.

The hydroelectric portion of the dam has been idled since 2023, but when it was in operation, it accounted for about 30% of the flow through the complex and played a key role in regulating water levels. If it can be restarted, officials said Tuesday night, it could help to relieve Cheboygan River floodwaters behind the dam structure in downtown Cheboygan.

For the past few days at the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Structure, some water has been moving through the bypass valves at the hydroelectric portion, but crews so far have been unable to fully restart the turbine, DNR officials said Tuesday night.

Contractors have been working around the clock to connect the power house to Consumers Energy infrastructure, a key factor in restarting the turbine, said Michelle Crook, a senior engineer for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

"In order to operate at maximum capacity, it has to be connected back to the grid to have resistance on that motor; otherwise, it will spin too fast," said Crook, comparing it to what is required to operate a wind turbine.

"You don't want that to just spin real fast and go out of control," she said.

Once the power house passes a significant amount of tests, it could be restarted, at which point, Consumers Energy may shut down area power for a temporary period, about two hours, for additional testing, said Mike Janisse, leader of the DNR's incident management team in Cheboygan.

"That's what's taking time right now, is getting that back out of the mothball stage, getting parts supplied to make that happen," Janisse said. "If you see the power go out and you have messaging, that's a good sign in my book that we're close to the end in getting that power house started."

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