Village’s Ford Dam still in “fair” condition, says EGLE

The “Ford Manchester Dam,” built in 1940, was inspected last summer and a report presented to Village Council in February.

The “Ford Manchester Dam” located on the River Raisin at the site of the village hall, 912 City Road, has been rated by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) as in “fair condition overall,” according to a report from the Hydrologic Studies and Dam Safety Unit of EGLE.

The most recent inspection, conducted in August 2019, showed “no apparent structural deficiencies that could lead to the dam’s immediate failure,” said Lucas Trumble, who performed the inspection and wrote the report that was presented to the village in early January and reviewed by Village Council at its Feb. 3 meeting.

The dam originally was constructed in 1940 by the Henry Ford Motor Company to generate hydroelectric power for the plant that Ford built along the riverfront. Hydropower generation, of course, has long ago been abandoned. The village purchased the building and adjacent dam from Uniloy Milacron in 2000; at that time the former powerhouse had already been converted into office space.

Prior inspections by ELGE have been done on roughly a triennial basis since the village purchased the property. An original inspection prior to the purchase was done by Tetra Tech and had included an underwater inspection.

Trumble’s recommendations to the village, based on observation and studies of previous inspection reports, included four major points:

1. Complete a detailed structural evaluation of the spillway and powerhouse structures, including a plan and schedule for necessary repairs, within four years.
2. Continuing efforts to remove trees and brush from earthen embankments (it was noted in the field inspection that trees and brush root systems can result in erosion of embankments, as well as providing cover for burrowing animals.)
3. Restore “as soon as reasonably possible” at least one of the two existing drawdown gates to an operational condition or establish other methods of impoundment drawdown should it become necessary.
4. Develop a written Operation & Maintenance Plan for the dam and submit a copy to the Dam Safety Program.

Village Manager Jeff Wallace noted in his report to Council that “Over the next four years we should hire an engineer to develop and update an Operation and Maintenance Plan that includes restoration of one of the drawdown gates.” He added that this is all part of the “normal inspection process for a dam of this age,” and said that costs for developing a plan and gate repair would be worked into the budget over the next couple of years.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.