Alverno DamBlackLakeWaterLevelIssuePublicMeeting

PRESENTATIONBY:BLACKRIVERLIMITEDPARTNERSHIP(BRLP)

FORESTTOWNSHIPHALL- FEBRUARY2,2017

IntroductionBlackRiverLimitedPartnership:

• NelsonTurcotte– ManagingPartner– BlackRiverLP

• JimTucker– BlackRiverLPandTowerKleberLPOperationsManager

ThepurposeofthispresentationistopresentdataandinformationrelatedtothehistoryofBlackLakeandthe

currentissuewefacewithhighlakewaterlevels.

BlackLake•StateofMichigan’s9thlargestinlandlake

•75%ofitsitsinCheboyganCounty

•PrimaryInflows:UpperBlackRiver,RainyRiver,StewartCreek,MudCreek,StonyCreek,MilliganCreek,TomahawkCreek

•PrimaryOutflows:LowerBlackRiver https://www.watershedcouncil.org/black-lake.html

SUMMARYOFACTIVITIESSINCELATEFALL2016ANDFUTUREACTIVITIES

- Completereviewofhistorytore-establishaknowledgebase

- CollectionofHistoricaldataonBlackLakeLevels(highsandlows)

- DiscussionwithBLAandBLPS

- TeleconferenceCallswithRickS.

- RetainedPorterSurveyofOnawaytoconfirmelevations

- BLPSalsoretainedCheboygansurveyingcompanytocheckPorter’sresults

- UpdateletterstoFERCinDecemberandnowatendofJanuary

- InDecemberranAlvernodowntolow609range

- Lastthreeweeksrandownto609.5andstillrunningatthat–neverranthatlowthislonginwinterandwillcontinueintothiscoldweather

- Checkedourinstrumentation

- SubmitteddatatoRickS.

SUMMARYOFACTIVITIESSINCELATEFALL2016ANDFUTUREACTIVITIES

- ContactedCountyEngineer

- MadecontactwithUSACOE– inDetroit

- RetrievedCountyCourtorderfrom1960s

- CommunicationswithMDNR,MDEQandUSFWS

- TopurchaseandmountnewstaffgagesontwobridgesandalsoworkwithsurveyingfirmtoinstalltheseandaBenchMark

- CommittedtoregularsubmissiontoBLAandBLPSwebsites– dataduringtransitionperiods– everytwoweeks

- FurtherfullupdatestoFERCatendofMarchandendofJuly– anddecidingonwhetheranamendmenttolicenserequestwillgoin

- RequestingUSACOEtocomeandcheckflowvaluesatSmithRapidsduringagivenLakeLevelelevationthisspringorsummer

- ifsubmitforlicenseamendmentrequestwillmaintaincommunicationsnotonlywithMDNR,MDEQ,USFWSbutalsoBLAandBLPS

- Organizedthispublicmeetingwithappropriateadvertisementsandpostings

BlackLakeSurfaceArea:10,143acresShoreline:19milesMaximumDepth:50feet

http://www.fishweb.com/maps/cheboygan/blacklake/blacklake.html

http://www.sturgeonfortomorrow.org/img/black-lake.jpg

• Smith’sRapidsispicturedaboveasthedischargeoutletofBlackLake(yellowarrow)

• TheAlvernodamispictureddownstreamoftherapids(bluearrow)

AlvernoDam–locationofstaffgageOnFebruary2,2017– wasjustabove609.5

AlvernoPowerhouse– fromDownstream

Smith’sRapids

•BlackRiveroutletchannel

•LocatedbetweenBlackLakeandtheAlvernoimpoundment

•Smith’sRapidsisanaturalconstrictionintheriverwhichactsasasillordamandholdswaterbackuntiltheriseinwaterlevelsofBlackLakeforceslargerdischargesdownstream

•DischargeCapacityofSmith’sRapidsislinkedtothelevelofBlackLake(seebelow)

•Smith’sRapidsisincontrolofthelevelofBlackLakeduringdrawdownandhighflowperiods

BlackLake

Smith’sRapids

Alverno

Smith’sRapids

• AccordingtothereportbytheU.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers,theriverbottomofSmith’sRapidsisatElevation608feet,approx.

• Thechannelwidthvariesfrom80-100feet

• Theoriginallicenseapplication,from1999,suggeststhatdischargethroughtherapidsisnotdependentupontheleveloftheimpoundment

TowerandKleberHydroDams•TwohydrodamsupstreamofBlackLakeontheupperBlackRiver

•TheyaresituatedonthelargestinflowtoBlackLake(i.e.theUpperBlackRiver)

•Tower– 29.3fthighconcretedamand102acrereservoir

•Kleber– 40fthighearthdamand295acrereservoirjustdownstreamofTower

•TheseplantsdonotprovideandmeaningfulcontrolwithregardstothedrawdownofBlackLake– andnotedbyUSACOEintheir1965report

AlvernoDamandBlackLake

BlackRiverLPisrequiredbyourLicenseandOrderModifyingandApprovingGagingandFlowCompliancePlan(2003)tomaintainBlackLakeatatargetelevationof:

• 610.2feetfromDecember1st toApril15th• 612.2feetfromMay15th toOctober31st

Notethe1965CourtOrderhasawinterelevationof610.5

April16th toMay14th andNovember1st toNovember30th aretransitionperiods

Novemberisthefalldrawdownperiod– itisduringthese30daysthatwehavebeenrequiredtodrawthelakedownfromsummertowinterlevels

OperationofAlvernoDam• Duringthesummer,withhigherlakelevelsandlowbasininflows,theoperationoftheAlverno damcloselyfunctionsasarun-of-theriverprojectrequiredtomaintainasetlevelinBlackLake

• Becausethelakeanddamimpoundmentareatsimilarelevations,therapidsandriversystemisessentiallyfloodedoutandthedamhascontrolofthelakeinallbutextremerainfalleventsinthesummer

•Duringhot,drysummermonths,theevaporationfromthelargelakesurfacecanbeextensive

•Theinflowtothedamcanbeminimalandthegeneratingunitswillbeshutdownonlypassingaminimumflowtokeepthelakeelevationup

OperationofAlvernoDam• Thedamhasalimitedinfluenceonthelakeduringthewinterbecauseofthelowwaterlevelintherapidsandriver.Winterlevelisgreatlyinfluencedbytemperatureandprecipitation

•Thetransitionperiod(April15– May15)isalsoaffectedbytemperature,precipitationandsnowmelt.

•Latespringsnowstormsthatmeltquicklycanhaveanbigimpactonlakelevels.Manyyearsthelakeisabovesummertargetlevelduringthistransitiontimeandsummerlevelcomeswhentheinflowslowsandthelakedrainsdowntothesummerlevel

CourtOrder

• AlthoughtheAlvernoDamcannotfullyachievethecontrolresultsenvisionedinthe1964CircuitCourtOrder,thedamdoesprovidesomebenefittogettingthere– notethecontexttowhichtheCountyJudgeissuedtheOrder(i.e.dredgingofchannel)

•Withoutthedam,thelakewouldcyclethroughlevelseachyearthataremuchmoreextreme.InanattempttotightenandimprovetheoperatingproceduretomeetthecourtorderconditionsthefollowingoperatingprocedureswereproposedintheLicensingConditions

CourtOrder•StartloweringthedamimpoundmentNovember1,toanelevationof610.5byNovember20th (changedto610.2in2003)

•WhenBlackLakedropstoelevation611.3,droptheimpoundmentlevelto610.4(WHATISTHIS)

•Maintainthe610.40levelintheimpoundmentuntilspringrunoffhaspassed.

•WhenBlackLakespringtimeelevationdropsorisevidentithaspeakedbelow613.00,theimpoundmentlevelwillberaisedto611.00

•WhenBlackLakeelevationdropsto612.5theimpoundmentelevationlevelwillberaisedto611.50

•WhenBlackLakeelevationdropstosummerlevel612.2theimpoundmentwillbeadjustedasnecessarytomaintainthelevel.

•ItmustberecognizedduetothesizeofBlackLake,itslargedrainagebasin,andtheriverandrapidsleadingtothedam,theabovestatedelevationscannotbemaintainedasabsolutevaluesgiven.Theyshouldonlybeconsideredastargetelevationstobemaintainedascloseaspossible.

Concerns

BLACKLAKE•Lakelevelstoohighinspringforthelastfewyears•Lakeleveltoohighinthesummer•Drawdownperiodunsuccessfulandhighlevelsinthewinter•Significantdamagetoproperty•Flooding,erosion,lossofbeacharea

BLACKRIVERWaterhasbeentoolowbetweenBlackLakeandAlvernodamResidentsnotabletogetboatsinthewaterLoweringtherivertoosooninthefall

WealongwiththeFERCandMDNRhavebeenreceivingcomplaintsregardingthelakelevelandriverlevelasnotedbelow:

TheIssuewithBlackLake•Highwaterlevels,flooding,erosion+propertydamage

•Smith’sRapidsistheoutletchannelthatdischargeswaterfromBlackLake,anditonlyhasacertaincapacitybasedonlevelofBlackLake

•Thisissuehasbeengoingonforalmostacentury– therearedocumentsfromthe1960’sandbeyondthatdiscusshighlevelsatBlackLake,theoutletchannelSmith’sRapids,andhowprecipitationandtemperature,aswellasotherfactorsaffectlakelevels.

•Windmayhaveasignificanteffectonlakelevelatcertainlocationsandresultingdamageandthisisbutonemorevariableaffectingtheissue– furthericeformationcanhurt

TheIssuewithBlackLake

INFLOWS

PrecipitationandmeltwateraremajorcontributorstorisinglevelsofBlackLake

Meltwatercontributestohighspringlevelswhichcanresultinfloodinganddamage

Highprecipitation,alongwithlimiteddischargecapacityofrapidscausedlaketorise

Otherinflowssuchasrivers,creeks,groundwater,andrunoffcontributetothelakelevel

WhenthetotalinflowisgreaterthanSmith’sRapidsdischargecapacity,thelakewillriseregardlessofwhathappensatAlvernodam

TheIssuewithBlackLake

TEMPERATURE

Ifwinteriswarmer,precipitationisnotstoredassnoworiceandcontributesdirectlytolake

Warmwintermeanssnowmeltsandpassesthroughgradually,keepinglakelevelhigherbutlessofaspringmelt

Ifwinteriscold,allprecipitationisstoredassnowandmeltsabruptlyinthespring,causinghighlevelsandflooding

AlvernoDamandBlackLake

•ThedrawdownperiodisoftenunsuccessfulbecauseofSmith’sRapidsandotherenvironmentalfactors

•Wehavenocontroloverinflows(precipitation,melt,rivers,etc.),norcanwecontroloutflowviaSmith’sRapids

•IthasbeensuggestedthattheonlywaytohavecontroloverBlackLakeistodredgerapidsandeliminatethem(U.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers)

•WehavebeenconductingtestsattheAlvernodamandcalculationsinorderseeifthereisanythingelsewecandotohelp

LoweringBlackLakeSampleCalculation

TimeCalculationstolowerBlackLake1foot(assumingnoinflowandanoutflowof500cfs)

1acrefoot=43,560ft³ =325,851gallons

10,000acrefoot=435,600,000ft³ =3,258,510,000gallons

500cfsoutflow=225,000gallonspermin

3,258,510,000gallons\225,000=14,482minutes

14,482minutes\60=241.37hours

241.37hours\24=10.06days***

***AssumingNOINFLOWwhichisNEVERthecase***

DamandPowerhouseExample

ReadingtheCharts

ReadingtheCharts

HistoricalWaterLevelData

HistoricalWaterLevelData

HistoricalWaterLevelData

HistoricalWaterLevelHighs

AlvernoDamandBlackLake

• Theoriginallicenseapplication(1999)includedmuchinformationontheissuewithSmith’sRapidsandhighlevels

• Givenallthehistoricalstudies,dataandinformation,thelicenseapplicationwasapprovedbyFERCshortlyaftertheapplicationforlicensewassubmitted

• Thelicensewasapprovedundertheconditionspresented,includingtheverylimitedcapacityoftheAlvernodamtocontrolthelevelsofBlackLakedespitehavingacourtordertomaintain612.2ftinthesummerand610.5ftinthewinter

•TheOrderModifyingandApprovingGagingandFlowCompliancePlan(2003)changedthetargetwinterlevelfrom610.5ftto610.2ft

Studies

• Astudyconductedin1986(byH.S.Stanteford,Ph.DandG.R.AlgerPh.D)concludedthat:

◦ “evenwithalowwinterlevelforthelake,itistheinabilityoftheexistingoutflowriversystemtopasslargeflowsatmoderatelakeelevationswhichhasthemoresignificantinfluenceonresultinglakelevels.Withregardtoallevidencewehaveconsidered,wefeeleffectivemanagementofBlackLakelevelscanonlybeaccomplishedwithoutflowchannelcapacityimprovements.”

USACOEStudy

• Acomprehensivestudyandfloodreportcompletedin1965bytheU.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers

• Theystronglysuggestedchannelimprovement(atSmith’sRapids)astheonlyrealsolutiontoincreasethedam’sregulatoryability

•Theconsideredimprovementswouldhavetakentherapids’dischargecapacityfrom800cfs to1,650cfs whileBlackLakeat612.2ft

USACOEStudy

• Theproposedprojectincluded1.2milesofimprovedchannel

•COSTSBELOWIN1965DOLLARS

• Costofdetailedprojectstudy=$38,500• Totalcostofproject=$364,000($322,000federalcosts,$42,000locallandcosts)

• Costsincludedclearing,excavation,structures,engineeringanddesign,supervisionandinspection,andnecessaryupgradestoAlvernodam,etc.

USACOEStudy

•Beacherosionstartsat612.5ft(targetsummerlakelevelis612.2ft)

•Significantdamagetopropertyoccursat613.5ft

•Theconsidered100ftwidechannelwouldproviderelieffromlakeflooding(1.2mileslong)

•Thefrequencyoflakelevelsexceeding612.2ftwouldbereducedfrom1peryearto1every3years

•Thelevelof613.5ft(levelofpotentiallyseriousdamage)wouldbereached1in11yearscomparedto1in3yearswiththeexistingchannel

USACOEStudy

• ImpoundingwaterattheTowerandKleberdamsupstreamwasconsidered

• TheUSACOEconcludedthatthetwodamsontheUpperBlackRiverhavelittleinfluenceonthestoragecharacteristicsofBlackLake:

• “TherearenosuitablereservoirsitesupstreamofBlackLakewhicharelargeenoughtohaveasignificantfloodreducingeffectonBlackLake.ThealmostnegligibleeffectthattheTowerandKleberdamshaveattesttothis.Thedamageareaistooexpansivetoconsiderlevees.ImprovementoftheexistingchannelwastheonlyrecoursetoalleviatefloodsintheBlackLakearea.”

USACOEStudy• Studyconcluded:

• TheplanofimprovementconsideredthemostsuitableconsistsofimprovingtheBlackRiverthroughtherapidsarea

• Theproposedplanwasjustifiedatthetime(1965)astheestimatedannualbenefitswouldhaveexceedannualcharges.

• Theproposedimprovementswouldgreatlyreducethereoccurrenceofhighlakelevelscausingdamagetoproperty(in1965- therehassincebeenmoredevelopmentonthefloodplain)

USACOEStudy

• ApublicmeetingwasheldonJune7,1965tooutlinetheresultsofthestudytoallinterestedparties

• AttendeesincludedCountyboardmembers,MichiganWaterResourcesCommission,MichiganDepartmentofConservation,ConsumersPowerCompany(ownerofAlvernodamatthetime),BlackLakeAssociation,Countyprosecutors,andothers

• Noobjectionswerevoicedduringthemeeting,projectwasconsideredgenerallyacceptable

USACOEStudy• TheBlackLakeAssociationstronglyurgedtheremovaloftherapids,howevernodeterminationwasmadeonwhowouldberesponsibleforthecosts

• Theplanwasabandonedin1966•AnewspaperarticlefromNovember11,1966titled“BlackLakeLevelSpecialAssessmentPlanisabandoned”stated:• “ThefederalgovernmentwouldhavedredgedouttheSmith’sRapidsintheBlackRiversothatthespringrunoffwouldbespeededatfloodtimefromBlackLake.TheBlackLakeAssociationopposeditbecausethecosttotaxpayerswouldoutweightheadvantagesoftheproject.”Atthetime,theprojectwouldhavecostedtheFederalGovernmentover$300,000andproposedlocalexpensesofover$40,000.ManywereworriedaboutthecosttorepairtheAlvernodam,whichwouldbeincludedinthespecialassessment.

RiseinLakeLevel

• Therateofriseonthelakecanbeveryfastinthespring

• Ifthelakehitsthetargetwinterlevel,thisisstillnoguaranteeyouwillnotseehighwaterlevelsinspringorsummer

• Oncethereishighinflowintothelake,lakelevelsaredifficulttomaintain

RecentData• Thedrawdownperiodthiswinter(November1– 30,2016)wasunsuccessfulatreachingthetargetwinterlevelof610.2feet

•Thelowestwehavereachedthiswinterhasbeen610.85ftatthemarinagage

• SofarallofourrecentexperimentaltestattheAlverno impoundment,(suchasholding levelslowerthanthenormaltargetof610.20) havenotshowedasignificantimpact,ifany,and appearsto followwhatthehistoricaldataandstudies fromtheACOEandothers tellsusthatthedamhaslittledirect influenceonthelakelevel inthewinter

RecentEffortstoMaintainBlackLakeLevel

•BlackRiverHydroLPhasbeeninclosecommunicationwithrepresentativesofthepublic,BlackLakePreservationSociety,BlackLakeAssociationandtheMichiganDNRregardingthisissue

•Wehavebeenconductingvarioustrialsandexperimentstoseewhatsortofaffecttheywouldhaveonthelakelevel

RemoveAlvernoDam?

•TheAlverno damprovidesnecessarycontrolofBlackLakeinthesummermonthsofdrought(evaporationcanreach1inchperday).

• DuringdrysummerstheturbinesdonotrunatallinordertoholdbackwaterandmaintainthelevelofBlackLake.

•Ifthedamwereremoved,thelakewouldlower4-5feet(MichiganDepartmentofConservation,1967).

•Theshorelinewouldshrinkconsiderablyinward,exposingalmosttwothousandacresofshoalwaterarea

•Onethirdofthefishproductiveareaswouldbedestroyedandspawninggroundsvirtuallyeliminated.

•Riverflowsandlevelsaltered,alongwithotherenvironmentalconsequences.

FutureActions•Thisissuehasremainedconstantforalmostacentury,despiteeffortsattheAlvernodambypreviousowners– butreallynoticeablesincecottageandhomedevelopmentinthe1930’sand40’s

•Wehavebeenandwillcontinuetodiligentlymonitorlevels

•WeareopentocontributingfundstopurchaseandinstallnewgagesforBlackLakesothepublicmaybeawareofwaterlevelsandwillbesurveyinginandinstallingnewstaffgagesattwobridges

•WearemaintainingclosecontactwiththeFederalEnergyRegulatoryCommission(FERC),providingthemwithupdatesontheissue.WehavejustsubmittedanupdateandwilldosoagainattheendofMarchandJuly

•Weunderstandtheseverityofthedamagedcausedbyhighlevels(floodinganderosion)andcommittobeingavailabletoeducatethepubliconthisissue

Follow-up• BRLPunderstandswiththenumberofresidentsonthelakeandontheriverthattheymaynotbeabletoanswereachindividual’squestionsandnotifyeachindividualofoperationalandmaintenancechangesinatimelymanner• DuringTransitionperiodswewillsendtotheBLAandBLPS–spreadsheetsofdata,everytwoweeksforpostingontheirwebsites• Therearetwogroupsthatcananddorepresentinterestsatthelake,theBlackLakeAssociationandtheBlackLakePreservationSociety

Follow-up•WehavebeenworkingwiththeBLAandBLPSandwillcontinuetoworkwiththemmoreasanefficienteffectivewaytoinformofanyeventsgoingonatthedamlocations.

•Weurgeyoutousetheirwebsitesandinformationmeetingstohelpimprovethelakeandvoiceyoursuggestions,opinionsandconcerns.

•Weurgepeoplenottotakethewordofmouthasfactuntilyouhavecheckedoutthesewebsitesandverifiedthefacts

•Ifthereisinformationyouwouldlike– wecanmakeitavailablethroughtheBLAandBLPSwebsites

•AnnualnewsletterwithanupdateontheissuetobeavailableeveryyearatendDecember

ThankYou!