Peninsular Dam

Image of the peninsular dam on a sunny day.

On November 25th, 2024, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded  $7.5 million in grant funding to restore the Huron River and Improve the Fish Passage in Ypsilanti (MI).  See the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Press Release here. 

The City of Ypsilanti, in partnership with the Huron River Watershed Council, is pleased to announce that they have secured funding to remove Peninsular Dam. This project results from contributions from many partners, including the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Walters Family Foundation. See the City of Ypsilanti's press release here. 

Check out this fun video to see what lies below the surface of the Huron River in Ypsilanti! The Huron River Watershed Council and the City of Ypsilanti searched for mussels in the Huron River below the Peninsular Dam during the summer of 2024. Before the Ypsilanti Pen Dam can be removed, the team needs to identify, count, and locate mussels to be relocated before demolition.


Pen_Dam_Blended_Restoration_Option 2160See the blended alternative plan for the dam removal. The graphic provided is from Inter-Fluve.


This first phase of the dam removal is complete, and the engineers shared their findings at the April 2024 Ypsilanti City Council meeting. Here is a link to the presentation given at this meeting. 

 Check out the Pen Dam Update blog for a quick summary of the presentation here

For any information on restoration plans, please visit the Huron River Watershed Council page. 


Overview

Located on the Huron River in Ypsilanti, Michigan, the Peninsular Paper Dam is a high-hazard dam in poor condition. It was originally constructed in 1867 to provide electrical and mechanical energy for the paper mill at the site. It no longer generates power. The electricity-generating equipment was removed as the grid was modernized, and the mill was abandoned.

The City of Ypsilanti owns the dam and is responsible for maintaining it. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (then the Department of Environmental Quality) inspected the dam in 2014 and required the dam to be repaired or removed.

Ypsilanti City Council voted to remove the dam in 2019 following the completion of a feasibility study. Since then, the City, with the support of the Huron River Watershed Council, has been working with professional engineering firms to assess the dam and the impoundment and plan the restoration of the river. Dam removal is anticipated for 2025 or 2026 but is subject to change. Reports describing the proposed restoration design and sediment management strategies are expected over the coming months.

The 2022 Community Stakeholder Report is available here.

Information on how to remove a dam

• The process is very slow and deliberate.

• The impoundment will be dewatered during low flow periods, gently lowering the water level over many weeks.

• Sediment management processes will keep sediment movement downstream to a minimum.

• Managing the sediment will require removing some sediment from the impoundment with heavy equipment while letting small amounts go downstream naturally.

• The original, natural river channel will be restored by uncovering a pilot channel.

• The recovered lands in upland areas will be restored and protected to prevent erosion and maintain the stability of the banks.

  1. History
  2. Frequently Asked Questions
  3. Resources
  4. Removal Status
  5. 2021-Sediment Study
  6. Town Hall
  7. Huron River Watershed Council
  8. 2024-Mussel Survey

HISTORY


The dam was initially constructed in 1867 to provide power for paper manufacturing; it failed in 1918 and was rebuilt in 1920. The Peninsular Paper Company Dam powered a paper mill in Ypsilanti that produced newsprint for Chicago for a century from the 1860s to the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, the Peninsular Paper Company donated the Peninsular Paper Dam and land to the City of Ypsilanti. The City created a park on the land and is now responsible for maintaining the dam.


In April 2022, the City of Ypsilanti hosted a Town Hall update event. LimnoTech presented findings from their sediment report, and HRWC shared an overview of the restoration process.


In the autumn of 2021, the City led public forums to maintain transparency, convey information, answer questions, and encourage residents to guide the vision for river restoration. An ad hoc committee of volunteers, stakeholders and city officials led this public engagement process. The committee’s meetings are public; agendas, minutes, and links to meetings can be found through the Agenda Center on the City of Ypsilanti’s website under the heading “Pen Dam Public Engagement Committee.”

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Habitat Grant Program has provided funding for this effort into October 2022.


For study reports, plans, and more resources, please visit the Huron River Watershed Council Page.


The following grant proposals have been made available: 

Fisheries Habitat Grant Program 2019

Fisheries Habitat Grant Program 2020