MARQUETTE — As winter sets in across the region, the Upper Peninsula Power Company will begin lowering water levels in its hydroelectric reservoirs to prepare for snowmelt and precipitation in spring 2024.
UPPCO hydroelectric project licenses are issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and require these water level changes.
Silver Lake, Hoist, Victoria Dam, Bond Falls and Lake Gogebic reservoirs will be lowered in January. Reservoir levels at Prickett Dam will be lowered from February. These changing reservoir levels can produce dangerous or unstable ice conditions.
“Changes in water level can lead to dangerous ice conditions due to the formation of an air space beneath the ice.” said Brett French, UPPCO vice president of business development and communications. “Increased water flow in rivers can also cause ice to deteriorate, creating dangerous ice conditions. We ask everyone to exercise caution around hydroelectric reservoirs and nearby rivers, lakes and streams during low periods.
The UPPCO hydroelectric reservoirs are expected to begin returning to normal water levels during the month of April, depending on the speed of snowmelt and the arrival of spring.