By Nicole Walton
Marquette County, MI – Upper Peninsula Power Company has begun rebuilding Silver Lake. The lake in northern Marquette County emptied in 2003 when a fuse plug in its dam malfunctioned, creating widespread flooding in the Dead River Basin.
UPPCO says it received final approvals for the project last week. Plans include building a 150-foot-long concrete spillway, lengthening and raising existing dikes, and building a new earthen dam at the site of the breach.
The company has approved up to $17.6 million for the project. Work is scheduled through the fall, and the new dam is expected to be in place in 2009. Officials say it may take two or more years to fill Silver Lake, depending upon natural precipitation.