News Article

Archived News Release: July 20, 2016 - ​Beginning in the first half of August 2016, the City of Ann Arbor is planning to perform a temporary drawdown of the Huron River Impoundment at Superior Dam in order to replace 139 feet of deteriorating flashboards.

Flashboards are 12-inch high boards that run along the top of the dam, effectively raising the height of the pond to create a greater head differential for electrical production. The vertical drawdown of the river will be around 2 feet, and flow will be maintained by passing water through the tainter gate and/or powerhouse.

The water drawdown should have little impact on users. The river will continue to be navigable, however low spots in the river downstream from Geddes dam, may appear. Canoers and kayakers must continue to portage around the dam, as they do now. ​​

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