News, Culture and NPR for Central & Northern Michigan
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
91.7FM Alpena and WCML-TV Channel 6 Alpena are off the air. Click here to learn more.

Boardman Dam removal process begins

Flickr User Judy dean https://flic.kr/p/QWvDfi

The next step in the Boardman Dam removal process begins this week.

Engineers will begin siphoning off water from behind the dam in order to make the removal process easier.

 Project Engineer Dan Devaun says the diversion of water will make the river cloudy for residents downstream.

“And, you know, during storm events or maybe under specific, uh, channel excavation activities, we can expect so see, you know, some peaks in that cloudiness as it moves down, uh, perhaps even getting through Boardman lake as far as the mouth.”

“Immediately downstream of the dam, will be the greatest impact, it should decrease substantially as we get downstream.”

The Boardman Dam is slated to be removed in the dry months of July or August.

After the Brown Bridge Dam, the Boardman is the second dam to be removed in the watershed.

Removal of the Sabin Dam removal is expected to begin next year.