According to Rich Castle, community affairs manager with Consumers Energy, there is no need to change the energy-producing concept created all those years ago. He said the dam is almost like a car because it still needs repairs and different oil changes.

“You got certain things on a car you have to fix and if you had your grandpa’s car from 50 to 60 years ago, a lot of the insides are still the same,” Castle said. “You had to put new tires on it and do some oil changes – that’s exactly what we have to do here. It just lasts a little longer than a car.”

The concept is still the same – the water within Alcona Pond is kinetic energy that overflows and falls to a lower part of the Au Sable River. The dam utilizes that energy by placing turbines in front of the overflowing water and using its movement to push the large wheels to generate electricity.

The largest change that’s happened within the 100 years is the control Consumers Energy has on the water level of the pond. That control changed in 1994 with the company’s license with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which barred any level changes.

News Photo by Mike Gonzalez Two turbines are housed in the Alcona Dam on Thursday. When a turbine needs maintenance, operators power one down and direct water to the other system. If there is too much water, the rest is sent down another tube that pours it down the Au Sable River.

Now, water flows naturally through the dam, producing about 3.2 megawatts, which can supply power to more than 2,000 homes in a year.

“You could spend a lot of money and upgrade the dam, but your return is very small for the cost to upgrade,” Castle said. “The technology from 100 years ago is still really efficient and really effective today, so it hasn’t changed a whole lot. It’s pretty amazing to think about what they did 100 years ago, and how it was basically cutting-edge at that point, but is still used today.”

While the Alcona Dam celebrates its 100th year of functioning on the pond, it was originally anticipated to operate years before, but because of unstable sand along with most of the construction crew getting drafted into World War I in 1917, work was unable to resume until six years later.

Even then, the dam was not supposed to last a whole centennial. According to Castle, the dam had a projected lifespan of about 50 years, crushing that expectation by doubling the number.

“I think it’s a testament of how well our company has managed to maintain these facilities, but we’re at a point now where we’re looking at the next 50 to 60 years,” Castle said. “We’ve got to figure out from a money standpoint if it’s worth it to reinvest in the 13 dams Consumers Energy owns.”

News Photo by Mike Gonzalez Power lines coming from the Alcona Dam on Thursday go to a substation that sends the water-generated electricity to locations that need power.

According to the Consumers Energy magazine Hydro Reporter, the company is considering its option to sell the hydro facilities but remains committed to maintaining them until the group decides whether or not to renew the licenses for the dams in 2034.

Consumers Energy said the concrete of the core wall that embanks Alcona Pond has deteriorated over the past 100 years, so the company will reinforce the 1,900-foot walls with steel sheets.

The work will take place between June and November 2024.

Consumers Energy will also host free public tours of the dam in celebration, starting on May 18 at 9 a.m., with the final tour beginning at 3 p.m. Participants will need to park at 6128f County Highway 30 in Glennie and register online on Consumers Energy’s eventbrite.com page.

“These dams have been here for 100 years, they’re entrenched into these communities,” Castle said. “The lake, there’s an economic, stable state for the community. There’s a lot of things that we have to balance right now and that’s why we’re trying to take this hydro strategy very carefully.”

News Photo by Mike Gonzalez Century-old windows surround the turbines of the Alcona Dam on Thursday.

News Photo by Mike Gonzalez Glass casing on two pipes shows Alcona Pond water going through the Alcona Dam on Thursday.