Traverse City News and Events

Monitoring Work Starts Monday At Union Street Dam

By Beth Milligan | Nov. 20, 2021

Monitoring work will start Monday on the Union Street Dam in downtown Traverse City, according to a city release.

The city is contracting with engineering consultant AECOM to complete the work. According to City Director of Public Services Frank Dituri, because of pending litigation in the Michigan Court of Appeals, the planned $19.3 million reconstruction of the dam as part of the FishPass project “is experiencing delays that are beyond the city’s control and at this time have no determinable length.” Dituri previously noted that a recent state inspection of the dam “downgraded the rating of the dam to fair-to-poor condition,” and that “to continue to maintain public safety it is necessary to secure engineering consultant services to monitor the condition of the dam.”

AECOM will be completing work at the Union Street Dam site including:

> Establishing a topographic survey and survey monuments on the dam
> Investigating slope stability and seepage and monitor piezometer levels
> Evaluating spillway capacity
> Evaluating and planning for tree removal
> Monitoring and developing sheet pile gap closure
> Monitoring and plan for repair of concrete surfaces
> Inspecting submerged portions of the dam through dive/video inspections
> Updating the project operations and maintenance plan
> Conducting quarterly inspections of the dam and project structures, including survey of monuments

Initial work will require surveyors and engineers to be on-site to measure, document, and photograph the site. Additional work will set reference monuments with hand tools on existing structures. The geotechnical "slope stability" component of this work will require a drilling equipment truck and vehicles on-site to facilitate the installation of water level monitoring devices. Future monitoring will include specially trained divers, who will conduct an underwater dive to inspect subsurface components of the dam. The monitoring work will enable reproducible measurements which when compared can indicate any change or movement in the conditions of the dam.

Comment

News Updates: Peninsula Township to Appeal Winery Verdict, Vogel Separation Contract Approved

Read More >>

Microplastics Are Everywhere, But Local Organizations Are Fighting Back

Read More >>

MSU Extension Plans New Home in Former TCAPS Building

Read More >>

How NMC’s Office Of Possibilities Became A Key Driver Of Local Innovation

Read More >>

With No State Budget In Place, TCAPS Prepares For Uncertainty, District-Wide Belt-Tightening

Read More >>

Vogel Steps Down as City Manager

Read More >>

Two Design Concepts Emerge for Rotary Square

Read More >>

Cherry Capital Airport Clocked Its Busiest Days Ever Over The Fourth Of July Weekend

Read More >>

Park Projects, Street/Sidewalk Improvements, Salary Increases on Deck

Read More >>

Summer Adventures Up North This July

Read More >>

The Past, Present and Future of Meijer's Silverbrook Acres

Read More >>

Judge Awards Nearly $50M in Damages to Old Mission Wineries

Read More >>

No NHL Prospect Camp In Traverse City in 2025

Read More >>

TCAPS Eyes $17.3M Fieldhouse Near East Middle School

Read More >>