Roberts Lake Dam in Cheboygan County is set to be removed later this summer.
The removal will restore the lake to its original pre-dam state and reconnect it to Twin Lakes Creek through a culvert underneath Roberts Lake Road.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said in a written statement that the project will reconnect wildlife living in the lake, protect road infrastructure and prevent potential dam failures.
“It’s been on the landscape for a long time,” DNR Facilitator Doug Schultz, said. “It’s starting to fall into disrepair. Like many other dams across the state of Michigan, it’s simply just aging out.”
Owned and maintained by the state, the dam is public property, and will continue to be open to the public after the project is done. The plan is to lower the lake’s water level from nine feet to its original level, and a culvert underneath the road will be installed in the place of the dam. Officials say it's unclear how much the 54 acre lake will be reduced in size. They don't anticipate any drastic changes following the removal, according to Schultz.
The 78-year-old dam was built in 1948, and was only meant to last for 50 years, Schultz said. The dam was created by the DNR as a way to create opportunities for fishing on the lake. Despite this, the dam has experienced regular winter kills, or a phenomenon when a long winter of snow over ice kills fish because of low oxygen, he said.
The dam was rated in poor condition by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy Dam Safety Unit in 2025 and in 2020, according to the Michigan Dam Inventory.
The dam has also accumulated a recurring build up of debris and silt that has the ability of causing damage to the road nearby, according to the DNR.
The project is fully funded by a federal grant from America’s Ecosystem Restoration Initiative, Schultz said.
EGLE is currently trying to remove dams that are in poor condition statewide, Schultz said.
Currently, there are over 2,500 dams across Michigan, and many are in poor condition. Schultz said around $74 million would be needed to fix all the dams in poor condition in the next five years.
“The number of dams moving, shifting from fair to poor status, is increasing faster than we can keep up with them,” he said. “We’re using external funding sources because we do not have the internal funding or state allocated funding…to address our dam issues adequately.
“That’s (dam removal) more times than not the most cost effective, long-term solution, which also has some pretty important ecological benefits.”
The project will be led by the nonprofit environmental organization, Huron Pines.
Schultz said there should have no environmental impacts outside of lowering water levels.
“The lake is still expected to winter kill occasionally, as it has already,” he said. “It’s going to continue to provide natural habitat, aquatic habitat for other species. And honestly, with the lake getting a little bit shallower, that may be beneficial to some waterfall species in particular.”
The project will take place in August and is expected to be done in a month. The lake will be opened to the public after the project is done.
