April 17, 2026
The turbines in the hydroelectric powerhouse in the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex were brought back online late Friday morning and are pumping water toward Lake Huron.
Water levels on site dropped about two inches by mid-afternoon. Levels are expected to fluctuate further as water moves into the basin from upstream. Operation of the turbines will help further relieve pressure on the complex which is in danger of overtopping due to snow melt and spring rains.
A cooperative team including the powerhouse owner and operator, Consumers Energy, the Army Corps of Engineers, state agencies and other contractors worked long hours to reopen the powerhouse. The privately owned powerhouse was closed after a fire at the adjacent paper plant in 2023. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) owns and operates the adjacent lock structure and spillway.
“We’ve had a lot of people working on this,” said Richard Hill of the DNR’s Incident Management Team, which is working with partners to keep the lock and dam complex from being overwhelmed by water. “The effort was technical and exacting, involving rewiring circuits, testing machinery that has been idle for years and connecting the power station to the grid.”
Spring rains and melting snow from a record March snowfall have caused rivers across the watershed to swell.
Cheboygan County emergency management officials are monitoring the situation and using the “Ready, Set, Go” system to advise residents about potential evacuations. You can find updates by following the Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office Facebook Page.
The Michigan State Police Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division (MSP/EMHSD) activated the Joint Information Center (JIC) as the source of state agency information dissemination. Find links to and sign up to receive MSP and SEOC news releases and follow Facebook and X or the latest information from the JIC.
For tips on how to prepare before, during and after an emergency or disaster, visit MIReady.
