Dead River Project, Dead River, Michigan

After issuance of licenses for the three projects in 2002, water has been put back into a previously dried-up (or bypassed) river channel downstream of the McClure Dam. Since then, a massive failure of Silver Lake Dam damaged or destroyed several other dams, dikes, and bridges. While this accident delayed the implementation of some enhancement projects specified in the settlement, it also potentially opened the door for dam decommissioning. Due to the diligent efforts of the MHRC, FERC imposed requirements on the rebuilding of the Silver Lake Dam, which has raised the bar on rebuilding that dam and others.