Edenville Dam
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| Edenville Dam | |
|---|---|
  Location within the state of Michigan | |
| Location | Gladwin and Midland counties, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 43°48′51″N 84°22′35″W / 43.8141°N 84.3765°W |
| Purpose | Power, flood control |
| Opening date | 1925 |
| Owner(s) | Boyce Hydro Power |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Earth fill dam |
| Impounds | Tittabawassee River |
| Height | 54 ft. |
| Length | 6,600 ft. |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Wixom Lake |
| Total capacity | 66,200 acre feet |
| Surface area | 5.7 square miles |
Edenville Dam was a dam in Gladwin County, Michigan, about one mile north of Edenville. The dam was mostly in the southeast corner of Tobacco Township in Gladwin County, but its most southeastern end reached into the northeastern corner of Edenville Township in Midland County. The earthen gravity dam was completed in 1925 for hydroelectric power and for flood control.[1] The height is 54 feet, the length is 6,600 feet (2,000 m) at its crest, and it impounds both the Tittabawassee River and its tributary the Tobacco River. The dam was privately owned and operated by Boyce Hydro Power, a company based in Edenville, which also owns three other hydroelectric facilities on the Tittabawassee: the Secord, Smallwood, and Sanford Dams.[2]
The reservoir it creates, Wixom Lake, has a normal surface area of 5.7 square miles, a shoreline of more than 84 miles, a maximum capacity of 66,200 acre-feet (81,700,000 m3), and a normal capacity of 36,000 acre-feet (44,000,000 m3).[3] Unusually for its size, Wixom Lake boasts a lighthouse.[4]
Dam Failure
On May 19th, 2020, 5:46 PM, due to flooding on the Tittabawassee River, the eastern side of the dam collapsed, prompting immediate evacuations in the town of Edenville and the city of Midland. The failure of the dam also posed a threat to the Sanford Dam, about 10 miles downstream of the Edenville Dam and 6 miles upstream of the city of Midland. Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency. [5]
References
- ^ http://findlakes.com/hoot_lake_minnesota~mn00194.htm
- ^ http://sanfordlakeassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Project-Operations-Compliance-Report.03.2011.pdf
- ^ http://findlakes.com/hoot_lake_minnesota~mn00194.htm
- ^ https://www.flickr.com/photos/tamedwolf/1346880937/
- ^ {{cite web | url=https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay-city/2020/05/residents-told-to-evacuate-after-edenville-dam-failure.html | accessdate=19 May 2020
