Adams Trout Blog

The Federal Energy Regulatory Administration has agreed to allow the decommissioning of the hydroelectric dams on the Boardman River. With this milestone passed, Traverse City Light & Power has a limited amount of time to cease generating electric power and remove the generating equipment from those powerplants. The ownership of the dams reverts to the City of Traverse City and to Grand Traverse County who must determine the fate of the dams. A committee has been formed to make recommendations as to the future of the Dams upstream of Boardman Lake, including their likely removal. The committee is currently evaluating "Statements of Qualification" from firms and teams of firms interested in conducting the Engineering Feasibility Study of possible dam removal. The study will take one to two years to complete and will include a study of engineering feasibility, environmental impacts, social impacts, and economic impacts of dam removal. The earliest that a decision will be made on actual dam removal will be some time in 2008. The Boardman River Dam Committee meets the last Tuesday of each month at Northern Michigan College (see the Traverse City or Grand Traverse County website for their schedule).

Of concern to many of us if the dams are removed is what limits, if any, should be placed on the passage of anadromous fish. The Dam Committee is not charged with making this decision, the Michigan DNR will be the ones to decide that issue following yet unscheduled public meetings, and their own justification (one way or the other). If you are concerned with this issue, keep your eye out for the time of the public meetings and let your voice be heard.

Leave comments on this blog to be passed on to our representative on the dam removal committee.