emergency management – dam information
Dam Information
General Dam Information
Since the flood of May 2020, which caused damage at Secord and Smallwood and a breach at Edenville, the dams are now operated by Four Lakes Task Force. None of the dams are hydroelectric electric anymore. Below is public historical information about the dams. Updated information on the current happening’s can be found at https://www.four-lakes-taskforce-mi.com
Beaverton Dam
The Beaverton hydroelectric dam is owned and operated by the City of Beaverton. As a hydroelectric dam, it is inspected by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Region 5 Chicago Illonois. In the event of a dam emergency there are safety systems in place which will alert the staff. After evaluation they would alert central dispatch or emergency management.
Beaverton Hydroelectric dam was built in 1919 replacing the previous wooden dam. The dam went into full production in 1921. In 1985 the Beaverton Dam was refurbished and placed back into service by the City of Beaverton. In 2002 new stainless steel, variable pitch turbines were installed allowing the production of significantly more electricity, even during times of reduced water flow. In 2009 reconstruction of the Beaverton Hydroelectric dam was undertaken to replace crumbling concrete, failing gates, and general structural repairs.
Ross Lake is adjacent to the Beaverton dam and encompasses 294 acres. The lake is fed by 3 branches of the Tobacco River as well as the Cedar River. The maximum storage capacity is 2,390 acre-feed with a drainage area of 487 square miles. At the deepest point Ross Lake is approximately 15 feet deep.
Edenville Dam
The Edenville Dam is located on the Tittabawassee River about 21 miles upstream of the City of Midland, Michigan. The dam is located on the County Line between the Counties of Midland and Gladwin, Michigan. It is the second in a series of four dams ,formerly operated by Boyce Hydro, LLC, now operated by Four Lakes Task Force.
The others are Sanford (below Edenville), Smallwood and Secord (above Edenville). All were built in 1924 for the purpose of water power development to generate electricity. The dam consists of two sections, one across the Tobacco River and one across the Tittabawassee River, each with a concrete spillway and earthen embankments extending from either side of the spillways to natural ground. The top of the earth embankment is at elevation 682.8. The reservoir impoundment is approximately 2,300 acres of surface area at normal pool elevation of 675.8. The normal tail water elevation is 631. The total length of the dam is about 6200 feet with each of the two concrete spillways comprising about 70 feet of this length.
Flooding at Edenville usually occurs in the spring as the result of heavy spring rains or snow cover over ground in a fairly saturated condition. Major floods occurred on May 19, 2020, June 24, 2017, September 13, 1986, March 21, 1948, March 8, 1946, and June 3, 1943, when peak discharges were near 60,000, 39,000 cfs, 38,400 cfs, 34,000 cfs, 31,200 cfs, and 28,000 cfs, respectively at the Midland gauging station1.
There are a number of systems for the detection of an existing or potential emergency condition utilized at the Edenville Dam, including both visual and automatic means. Any of these can be used to alert the dam operator and appropriate agencies of a potential problem.
Secord Dam
The Secord Dam is located on the Tittabawassee River about 42 miles upstream from the City of Midland, Michigan. The dam is located in Gladwin County approximately 8.5 miles northeast of the City of Gladwin. It is the last in a series of four dams ,formerly operated by Boyce Hydro, LLC, now operated by Four Lakes Task Force. The others are Sanford (located in Midland County), Edenville and Smallwood (All downstream). All were built in 1924 for the purpose of water power development to generate electricity.
The dam consists of a concrete spillway and powerhouse with earthen natural embankments extending from either side of the spillway/powerhouse to natural ground. The top of the earth embankment is at elevation 757.8. The reservoir has approximately 1,100 acres of surface area at normal pool elevation of 750.8. The normal tail water is 705. The total length of the dam is about 2100 feet with the concrete spillway and powerhouse comprising about 100 feet in length.
The Smallwood Reservoir is immediately downstream of the Secord Dam and has a significant amount of development along its banks.
Flooding at Secord usually occurs in the spring as the result of heavy spring rains or snow cover over ground in a fairly saturated condition. Major floods occurred on May 19, 2020, June 24, 2017, September 13, 1986, March 21, 1948, and June 3, 1943.
Smallwood Dam
The Smallwood Dam is located on the Tittabawassee River about 34 miles upstream of the City of Midland, Michigan. The dam is located in Gladwin County Michigan approximately 8 miles southeast of the City of Gladwin. It is the third in a series of four dams ,formerly operated by Boyce Hydro, LLC, now operated by the Four Lakes Task Force. The others are Sanford and Edenville (downstream from Smallwood), and Secord (upstream from Smallwood). All were built in 1924 for the purpose of water power development to generate electricity.
The dam consists of a concrete spillway and powerhouse with earthen embankments extending from either side of the spillway/powerhouse to natural ground. The top of the earth embankment is at elevation 709.8. In 2000 the earthen embankments were strengthened with an upstream sheet pile cutoff wall. This was done to protect the embankment and powerhouse from overtopping and route the probable maximum flood flow around the left end of the embankment in a wooded area. The potential dam break flow is also reduced by this improvement. The reservoir impoundment is approximately 500 acres of surface area at normal pool elevation of 704.8. The normal tail water elevation is 676. The total length of the dam is about 1030 feet with the concrete spillway and powerhouse comprising about 75 feet of this length.
Flooding at Smallwood usually occurs in the spring as the result of heavy spring rains or snow cover over ground in a fairly saturated condition. Major floods occurred on June 24, 2017, September 13, 1986; March 21, 1948; March 8, 1946; and June 3, 1943.
