Macomb County issued the following announcement on Oct. 28.
Macomb County Public Works Office inspects local stormwater control structures following mid-Michigan disaster
Dams in Macomb County are in good shape and any failure is highly unlikely, according to a review of the stormwater control structures, Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice S. Miller announced Wednesday.
Following the failure of two dams near Midland, Mich. in May that caused catastrophic flooding and property damage in that area, Miller in July instructed her staff to conduct a proactive review of the dams located in Macomb County.
“Getting ahead of this issue is key, as it is with all infrastructure,” Miller said. “Our engineers inspected the structures within our jurisdiction to check for any possible safety violations, unsafe conditions or potential hazards.”
The review included determinations of: ownership of each dam; the agency assigned with regulatory responsibility; the need for condition assessments; downstream hazard potentials; and date of last inspection.
Of the 27 locations in Macomb County listed in the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy’s database of stormwater control structures, only 12 are actual dams and one is categorized as an “inland lake level control structure”. Eight of the dams are privately owned and four are publicly owned.
“We are happy to report that none of the 12 dams in Macomb County appear to have any critical issues,” Miller said.
Eleven of the regulated structures are in satisfactory condition and one is in fair condition. All are controlling stormwater effectively and should continue to do so, provided that inspections and any necessary maintenance continues.
Eleven of the 12 dams are designated by state law as “low hazard-potential dam" because they are located in an area where failure may cause damage limited to agriculture, uninhabited buildings, structures, local or county roads, and where environmental degradation would be minimal and danger to individuals would be slight or nonexistent.
A "high hazard-potential dam" means a dam located in an area where a failure may cause serious damage to inhabited homes, agricultural buildings, campgrounds, recreational facilities, industrial or commercial buildings, public utilities, main highways, railroads, or where environmental degradation would be significant and lives could potentially be lost.
Two dams in Macomb County are classified as “high” potential hazard in the event of a collapse: The Upper Dam and Lower Dam at Stony Creek Lake. Both are maintained by the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority.
“The HCMA has done an excellent job with inspections and regular maintenance to greatly reduce the likelihood of a failure,” Miller said.
Dams are required to be inspected every three to five years, depending on the hazard potential as determined by EGLE.
“The tragic dam failures near Midland pointed out why it is so important to be proactive about maintaining and inspecting critical infrastructure,” Miller added.
A click here for a copy of the dam report.
Original source can be found here.
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