ADRIAN — The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy — or EGLE* — just announced $14.9 million in new funding to upgrade, remove, or rebuild nineteen dams statewide through the Dam Risk Reduction Grant Program.
The program, launched in 2022, gives private and municipal dam owners a leg up on long-overdue maintenance.
This year’s recipients include high-hazard sites in both urban centers and rural backwaters — from Ypsilanti’s Tyler Dam, currently tied to a closed bridge, to the deteriorating Blackhawk Dam in Coldwater, which breached in 2018.
In Lenawee County’s orbit: Somerset will get $178,500 to address seepage and a broken draw-down gate at Lake Somerset Dam. Mosherville secures $120,000 for a feasibility study at Big Mosherville Dam, which is falling into disrepair. And Albion receives $1.75 million to finish a multi-dam removal project reconnecting stretches of river and eliminating barriers to fish and sediment flow.
For a full list of awardees — or to learn more about dam safety in Michigan — visit Michigan.gov/DamSafety.