Cheboygan Dam owner ordered to restore powerhouse after near-overtop during Northern Michigan flooding

Federal officials have sent a letter that orders the corporate owner in the public-private partnership at Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex to bring an engineer on site, restore the powerhouse operations and provide an assessment of the conditions. 

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave those instructions in a letter dated Thursday to Thomas Homco of Hom Paper XI. 

"As the Cheboygan Dam exemptee, you are ultimately responsible for the safety of the project," the letter said. "You must also take all necessary measures to provide for a permanent connection for the generating unit and restore the powerhouse to full and safe operation." 

The letter details the record flooding and high river levels this spring, which resulted from a combination of snowmelt and heavy rains.  

Authorities have been monitoring the Cheboygan Dam area since April 7, and on April 16, the water was less than 6 inches from the top. That scenario resulted in local authorities telling area residents to prepare for possible evacuation near the dam. 

While an evacuation did not occur in that area, there had been evacuations in other parts of Cheboygan County, along with numerous road closings due to the flooding. Pellston Regional Airport in nearby Emmet County remains closed until at least April 28 because of high water flooding its airfield. 

The water level on Friday morning was 9.36 inches below the top of the dam, state officials said, an improvement of 0.84 inches from the previously reported 8.52-inch reading on Thursday afternoon. 

While sandbagging and water pumps were initially used to address the high water, the federal agency's letter refers to the logistics involved with getting the shuttered turbines back into operation and pushing more floodwaters away. 

"Due to heroic efforts on the part of a team consisting of representatives from Consumers Energy, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, state and local officials, and staff from HydroMine, the turbine generating unit was brought online on April 17, 2026 and the bypass gates were able to be fully opened.  This has allowed the Cheboygan Dam complex to pass additional flows, which has been critical in keeping the dam from overtopping to date," the letter said. 

Federal officials insist that the company provide a professional engineer to be on site within seven days of the letter, work with the Michigan DNR to learn what was done to protect the area, and file a written report back to the FERC by May 15. 

"It is important to note that the connection of the generating unit to external transmission is only temporary and is not intended for long-term operations.  You must also take all necessary measures to provide for a permanent connection for the generating unit and restore the powerhouse to full and safe operation," the letter added. 

In the meantime, the U.S. Coast Guard has invoked a safety zone area for the navigable waters of the Cheboygan River from the dam to the outlet, along with other Northern Michigan boating areas, until May 8, because of the high water.  

That means all areas listed by the Coast Guard are closed to boat traffic, the Cheboygan County Sheriff's Office said.