By now most of the public in the area of the Wixom Reservoir know that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued an order to Boyce Hydro Power, LLC, the licensee of the hydro power project located on the … Continue reading
The question was posed in an article in the Midland Daily News on May 23rd: “If $170 a year would save your lakefront property, would you pay it?” (See MDN story 2013-05-23.) Preliminary calculations provided to the Wixom Lake Association’s … Continue reading
What will FERC do if Boyce Hydro Power LLC cannot afford to commit to the PMF spillway alteration construction schedule? FERC asserts that it cannot allow an “unsafe” dam to continue to operate, and it doesn’t give the licensee very … Continue reading
A group of concerned citizens within the Wixom Lake Association, the Dam Project Study Group (DPSG), has posted information on the WLA’s website which contains certain inaccurate and potentially misleading information. Boyce Hydro Power LLC has brought this to their … Continue reading
Construction estimates from a reputable local firm, Gerace Construction, put the cost of the PMF spillway alterations at roughly $8 million. That’s $8,000,000.00. This may not seem like a lot of money these days. But to a small company, such … Continue reading
A lot has been said and written about the proposed draw down of Wixom Lake as a necessary component of the FERC-mandated PMF construction. The drawdown is required during the phase of construction in which the sheet pile cofferdam is … Continue reading
Below is a graphic which illustrates the approved PMF spillway alteration. Please view the portion of the PowerPoint that illustrates the whole sequence of construction: 3-Dimensional Views Download the free PPS viewer: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=13. … Continue reading
Contrary to uninformed opinion and popular belief, the situation at Sanford Lake in late summer 2010 was an emergency. This is a well-established fact. By definition, emergencies are not planned, not anticipated, and not funded. (See 2010-09-16 Sanford draw down … Continue reading
Contrary to the belief and description of many individuals and members of the media, the FERC-mandated PMF spillway alterations are not a repair. The Edenville Dam is quite safe and in no danger of failing. In fact, the owners of … Continue reading
“PMF” stands for “Probable Maximum Flood”. (In other words, a flood that is probably never going to happen.) The PMF is an event which is calculated by FERC to occur once every 10,000 years. (Compare that with the 100-year floodplain … Continue reading