Rebuffed in a bid to get the city of Flat Rock to take ownership of the aging Flat Rock Dam on the Huron River, Huron-Clinton Metroparks officials are pushing ahead with a plan to partially remove the dam and replace it with a series of rock arches that they say will preserve impoundment levels important to the community that has built a life around them over a century.
Metroparks last year offered to sell the city of Flat Rock the dam for $5 and also provide $4.5 million to the city for the dam’s upgrading and maintenance. A due diligence period of exploring the sale ensued, in which the city requested and was granted multiple deadline extensions by Metroparks officials. But the Flat Rock City Council, at its meeting July 20, unanimously voted to reject the purchase of the dam. Mayor Steve Beller stated that the cost to make the century-old, “high-hazard” dam sustainable over the coming decades would far exceed the $4.5 million offered by Metroparks.
The dam is currently considered in fair condition by state inspectors, but, at more than 100 years old, like any infrastructure, is continuing to degrade, Metroparks CEO Amy McMillan said. The city’s decision not to purchase the dam does not eliminate the need to take action in the interest of public safety, she said.
“Our first priority has always been the health and safety of the region and the environment,” she said.
Metroparks commissioners announced Aug. 13 they will proceed with partially removing the Flat Rock Dam and replacing it with installed rock arches. The proposal, dubbed Alternate 2 by Metroparks officials, was arrived at following a feasibility study of alternatives released in August 2023.
The alternative, Metroparks officials said:
With approval from Metroparks’ board, the organization will now move forward with the design and permitting phases of Alternative 2, which are expected to take approximately two years and will provide for additional studies and opportunities for public feedback. The project is expected to cost at least $13 million.
Through a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Regional Partnership Grant, Metroparks has approximately $920,000 available for the design, engineering and permitting phases of the project. The Metroparks board also voted to extend its contract with GEI, the third-party consultant that developed the feasibility study, to continue its work into the design phase. Additional funding for construction through grants and matching funds will be pursued.
Metroparks commissioners on Aug. 13 also voted to adopt a new policy allowing homeowners on the Flat Rock Dam impoundment to keep existing docks, boat lifts or seawalls on Metroparks property. The policy will also allow homeowners to file permits to install a new temporary or permanent dock, boat lift or seawall.
The more-than-500-foot Flat Rock Dam was built in the late 1920s by Henry Ford for hydropower generation for his headlamp plant there, a purpose it served until 1950. Ford Motor Co. the following year sold the dam to the Huron-Clinton Metroparks Authority for $25,000. The southeast Michigan parks operator acquired the dam to maintain the approximately 250-acre water impoundment behind it and adjoining natural areas for recreational use.
But the Flat Rock Dam, and the smaller Huroc Dam just below it, are the first significant barrier to fish traveling upstream from Lake Erie. Though a fish ladder was added at the dams in the 1990s, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources still has found that the dams restrict fish passage and limit reproduction for a number of prized sport fish species, including lake sturgeon, walleye and white bass. A letter from the DNR Fisheries Division to the Metroparks Authority shows DNR officials encouraging the removal of the Flat Rock Dam as far back as November 1984.
Kelly Miller, administrator of the Save the Flat Rock Dam Facebook group, said she supports both the city not taking ownership of the dam, and the proposed modifications.
“The state is moving toward removing nonfunctioning hydroelectric dams throughout Michigan, as well as dams that do not provide flood control, like the Flat Rock Dam,” she said. “It seems inevitable that the state will eventually require the Flat Rock Dam to be removed.
“Given that reality, the rock arch partial dam proposed by the Metroparks seems to be the best option for this stretch of the Huron River. It would preserve the existing impoundment, along with its natural beauty, wildlife habitat, and diversity. Most importantly, the new rock dam would be a natural, low-maintenance structure that would preserve the character of the river and eliminate the concern that this type of dam could one day face removal.”
Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: After failed sale attempt, Metroparks proceeds with Flat Rock Dam mods
Reporting by Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
