What's next for the Elsie Dam? Township officials consider costs of repairs, removal
DUPLAIN TWP. — Township officials met Tuesday to discuss this month's collapse of the Elsie Dam and heard from residents about its importance to the community.
The dam has been a landmark for generations, with people fishing from the banks nearby, and it's hard to imagine the community without the dam, said Velmar Green, a farmer who has lived there for 85 years.
"It's our landmark," he said, during a special meeting Tuesday to update residents about the dam.
The township's elected officials didn't vote on any next steps Tuesday, but they asked the Spicer Group to attend their Sept. 13 regular session with a cost estimate for revising a 2010 dam study and additional steps regarding the dam that's been in the community since the mid-1800s.
In the meantime, Township Supervisor Bruce Levey and the other officials are urging residents to write to their state and federal representatives to see if they can help with funding.
Levey said the solution will likely not please everyone. Some want the whole dam removed and some want just the center removed. Any fixes will likely strain the township's finances.
"This is what I want, this is what I can afford. As a township, I think most of us are that way," Levey said.
The Aug. 17 dam breach didn't hurt anyone or damage property. The dam completed in 1840, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' National Inventory of Dams, was stabilized soon after. Levey's biggest fear right now is that someone will climb onto the dam and get hurt. The township approved spending $105 to install some orange cyclone fencing to help keep people away, Levey said.
The dam has long been known to be a risk, but it was considered at low risk of danger if it did collapse.
The lack of damage and the existing 2010 study are some fortunate breaks for the township, which will need all the good fortune it can get since the fix will be costly, Levey said.
The township commissioned a study into replacing or removing the dam in 2010. Elected officials ultimately decided against any action, due to costs, but having that study on the shelf should make fixing the bridge easier, Levey said.
The 2010 study gave five options, starting with doing nothing. The next step was repairing the dam at a 2010 estimated cost of $865,500. Full removal of the dam was then estimated to cost up to $1.95 million.
None of the current elected officials were on the board in 2010.
Charles Smith, a water expert with the Spicer Group, appeared at Tuesday's meeting since the township has hired Spicer to evaluate the dam and facilitate with the initial repairs. The township is paying $40,000 for some initial consulting work as well as excavator work and materials to shore up the dam by bringing in stonework on the banks to halt erosion.
Smith said revising the 2010 study's estimated costs will likely mean a 40% cost increase due to inflation and today's regulations, which could mean soil testing for contamination.
"(But) it's rare when a dam fails that you have a study available already," he said.
While there are several grant options that will be explored to finance repairs, some of the grants could require updated studies and other grants are not available until March. That means the busted dam could have to risk winter ice and serious damage to the remaining dam, Smith said.
The failure of the dam did uncover a bit of history, Smith said. The dam was built with stone and a timber crib to contain it. It was long thought to have been covered in concrete in the early 1900s, but the collapse of the dam exposed a part that had "1919" etched into the concrete.
Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: What's next for the Elsie Dam? Township officials consider cost of repairs, removal
