Dam Decision Time Extended

Notice: I will be off the couch hiking during part of September and October 2026. Posts may be less regular during this time

locations of the dams being discussed (photo from Croton Crawlers)

from Croton Crawlers

The decision deadline for sale or removal of 13 Michigan dams is voluntarily being postponed for another 60 days by Consumers Energy.

They say this will provide more time for the company and Confluence Hydro- the possible purchaser- to address concerns raised in concerning regulation..

A sale to Confluence Hydro would potentially keep the dams in place for another 30 years leaving the recreational landscape, that has come to depend on the reservoir, intact. A huge amount of recreational infrastructure is depended on water recreation, although groups representing anglers are advocating for the dams' removal.

Hopefully, the extra time will provide better answers concerning safety and maintenance.

See Fate of Dams to be Determined in 30 days


These links are checked on the date of the article. As the article ages, some links may become invalid

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See Get Off The Couch

Mason County May Get Bat Study Tower

Indiana Bat (photo by US Fish & Wildlife Service)

based on a news article in the Ludington Daily News, "Consumers seeking OK for bat study tower," by Brian Mulherin, Mar 10, 2009

Consumers Energy is seeking approval for a tower to record bat vocalizations in Riverton Township, Mason County. Dennis Marvin of CE said that they would be attempting to identify the endangered Indiana Bat. The tower would be fitted with an acoustical devise that measures frequencies of sound. In this way they can determine if the bats are in the area.

The Indiana Bat reaches the northern edge of its range in Manistee County. They have been observed at Tippy Dam, and in Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness.

Consumers Energy needs to conduct the study as part of an environmental impact analysis, because they hope to place wind turbines in the area. The Lake Michigan shoreline is prime real estate for wind power. But it is not known if the bats migrate through Mason County. There numbers here have never been counted.

Dr. Allen Kurta of Eastern Michigan University is serving as an advisor to Consumers Energy. So little is known about the bats because no banded or tagged bats have ever been returned. One theory is that the bats follow the shoreline.

Interestingly enough the bats are harmed most by wind turbines operating at low speeds. Only about half of bats killed by turbines are struck by the blades. The rest suffer hemorrhages in their lungs, apparently because of the pressure wave caused by the moving blades. Kurta said that this needs to be verified.

The bats are endangered due to habitat loss. Many of the caves that were natural homes to the Indiana Bats were developed as tourist attractions in the 1950s and 1960s. In many cases this raised the cave temperature just enough to make them unsuitable for the small bats.

Indiana Bat pairs only produce one or two young a year. This is a slow reproduction rate and wind turbines may kill more bats each year than are born.

See Indiana Bats Dying from Mysterious Mold
These links are checked on the date of the article. As the article ages, some links may become invalid

Go To www.getoffthecouchnews.blogspot.com for all the news
See Get Off The Couch

Dam Sirens to Be Tested Friday

Friday, December 14, at 9 am the siren at Tippy Dam (Wellston area) near High Bridge Road will be sounded. This is a regular test of the emergency public warning siren and speaker system maintained by Consumers Energy. The siren test at Hodenpyl dam (Mesick area) will be tested at 11 am on the same date.

The tests will include a voice message, sounding of the siren, and a second voice message. No action needs to be taken by the public. The system is regularly tested every August and December.

Such tests are required by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. If there were an imminent threat of dam failure the sirens would be sounded, and anyone on or near the river should move immediately to high gound.

Consumers Energy operates hydroelectric generating plants at both Tippy and Hodenpyl Dams.

from the Ludington Daily News, December 12, 2007
These links are checked on the date of the article. As the article ages, some links may become invalid

Go To www.getoffthecouchnews.blogspot.com for all the news
See Manistee County