Corunna Dam in bad shape 2012

State of Michigan Press Release - July 30, 2012 - 1:39 pm EDT

Corunna Dam in mid-Michigan at risk of failing;
people should avoid area amid repairs

The state warned people Monday to avoid an area downstream of the
Corunna Dam on the Shiawassee River in mid-Michigan, saying the
structure is at risk of failing.

The state Department of Environmental Quality announced that it planned an
emergency drawdown of water behind the dam, located east of Owosso 
and about 30 miles northeast of Lansing. 
The department said inspections in recent months determined
the structure could fail suddenly.

Repairs are planned, and people are asked to avoid the area until that time. 
The DEQ said its emergency order was issued last week.

"The order calls for immediate drawdown of the impoundment behind the dam 
to reduce an immediate threat to the health, safety, and welfare of downstream residents 
and natural resources resulting from a breach that has formed in the dam's spillway,"
the department said in a statement.

The breach, as it expands, could lead to a sudden failure that would release water 
and sediment downriver, the department said.

The emergency drawdown of water behind the dam was expected to start Monday. 
A full drawdown of the water behind the dam is expected by Aug. 12.

"The public is urged to maintain a safe distance from the dam during this period, 
avoiding the spillway structure and the Shiawassee River channel downstream,"
the department said.

http://www.abc12.com/story/19160667/corunna-dam-fails
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