Michigan dam info

In Michigan, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says
most of the state’s almost 2,400 dams—74 percent of them under private ownership
—“were built decades ago and many have deteriorated due to age, erosion,
poor maintenance, flood damage and poor designs.
Those dams that no longer make sense, that stand in disrepair,
or are not removed are at significant risk of failure,
 particularly during high flow events.”
The state’s Dam Management Program has provided grants for
some dam removal projects, including ones in  
Shiawassee (Shiawassee River) .


Removing dams improves fish migration, improves water quality and habitat,
and enables the distribution of sediments such as silt and sand downstream
as “part of the natural process of rivers,” according to Gerrit Jobsis
of the advocacy group American Rivers.
Removal also reduces the risk to human safety from dams
that may collapse and creates recreational opportunities for anglers and kayakers.

Via -  Eric Freedman 
The director of Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism.
http://greatlakesecho.org/2013/10/07/bigfoot-dams-and-environmental-newsworthiness/ 

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