Silver Lake Dam (Michigan)

This article is about the dam in Michigan. For the dam in New York, see Silver Lake Dam.

Silver Lake Dam
CountryUSA
LocationChampion Township, Marquette County, Michigan
Coordinates46°39′05″N 87°49′20″W / 46.65142°N 87.82236°W / 46.65142; -87.82236
Construction began1896
Owner(s)Upper Peninsula Power Company
Dam and spillways
Type of damEmbankment dam[1]
Height30 ft[1]
Length1500 ft[1]
Elevation at crest1490.7 ft[2]
Reservoir
CreatesSilver Lake Basin

Silver Lake Dam is a dam located on the Dead River 30 miles (48.3 km) upstream of Marquette, Michigan.[3] It is the farthest upstream of five dams on the river and had no electricity generating facilities.[4] The dam failed on May 14, 2003, and forced the evacuation of 1800 people. The dam was rebuilt in 2008.[5]

  1. ^ a b c Report No.1 p. 6.
  2. ^ Report No.1 p. 5.
  3. ^ "DEQ Settles Claims Against UPPCO for Dam Failure Near Marquette" (Press release). Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  4. ^ "Silver Lake Dam: May 14, 2003 Fuse Plug Activation" (PDF). Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  5. ^ "Silver Lake Hydroelectric Dam". Paul C Rizzo Associates, Inc. Retrieved February 18, 2012.