Mid Michigan Rebuild

[Deleted User 14896]

Let me preface this by saying my prayers go out to all affected by the flooding.

I want to throw this out. The dams that were breached were built in 1924 or 1925. Back in that day, there was no multi-state power grids being fed by mega-watt power plants. These dams were built for small local power generation. Just like the small power plants that Henry Ford built along the Huron River. I've been doing some Googling. I can't find where the loss of these three little power plants has caused any sort of power outages. Yes, people have lost power because they are flooded out, but it's not because the dams are no longer generating.

So I'd like to throw this out there for everyone's opinion:
Why rebuild the dams? Am I wrong thinking that left alone, the Tittabawassee River will go back to the way it was before 1925? Before the man made lakes and reservoirs were formed?

I feel bad for the folks who's lakefront property is no longer. But I disagree with the statement "This was a 500 year event".
500 years ago, there was no dams. 500 years ago Midland would not be under water.
Man caused this flooding by altering the natural flow of the river.
If we rebuild (and I say WE because I'm a Michigan and US taxpayer), how many years down the road will this flood again?

I say it is what it is now. Leave it alone.
Let the river go back to the way it flowed when the Native Americans it's named after were running around.
From what I've been able to Google, it looks like there is no need for the power that these three small generators were providing. Their business model was selling electricity to the grid that already has plenty of power.

Everyone up there was getting their power from the grid that the dams fed, not from the dams.

What sayeth y'all?

[km1125]

I don't have any problem rebuilding them, as it does help with flood control and will raise property values in the whole area.

HOWEVER, I think those folks who benefit by those property values should be taking the brunt of the costs. The counties and all the property owners. The state should not be fully funding this.

The use of power is ancillary, but it's "free" if you build the dams. The water still has to flow, so you may as well recover some of the energy. Hydro power is the least expensive way to generate electricity and if you're not damming up a Salmon run or something like that, then it's also the most "ecologically-safe" method.

The generators can be used in both a base load or a peaking capacity, which is nice as not all sources are capable of that. They can also be relied on to generate power in nearly all conditions, much better than wind or solar, as the only thing that really restricts them is extreme drought.

But you make a very valid point that's completely ignored by the media and government officials. How can this be a "500 year flood" when none of this existed over 100 years ago??

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I don't have any problem rebuilding them, as it does help with flood control and will raise property values in the whole area.

HOWEVER, I think those folks who benefit by those property values should be taking the brunt of the costs. The counties and all the property owners. The state should not be fully funding this.

The use of power is ancillary, but it's "free" if you build the dams. The water still has to flow, so you may as well recover some of the energy. Hydro power is the least expensive way to generate electricity and if you're not damming up a Salmon run or something like that, then it's also the most "ecologically-safe" method.

The generators can be used in both a base load or a peaking capacity, which is nice as not all sources are capable of that. They can also be relied on to generate power in nearly all conditions, much better than wind or solar, as the only thing that really restricts them is extreme drought.

But you make a very valid point that's completely ignored by the media and government officials. How can this be a "500 year flood" when none of this existed over 100 years ago??

It’s actually a 500 year rain event. It’s not a 500 year flood. Some of the spots north of there got 7-8 inches of rain (!)