The White River dam in Hesperia was near its maximum capacity early this weekend, with
excess water flowing into the Mill Pond, and over the emergency spillway
since Wednesday.
The high water also resulted in the closure of the
Division Street bridge above the dam, as the river
had reached the point of touching the bottom of the bridge.
The
Michigan Departments of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Environment,
Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) met with local officials Wednesday
afternoon,
and the decision was made to pull some of the boards out of the dam to
help relieve pressure. The river levels had dropped
since then, but have risen again with the additional rain that was
received overnight on Friday and into Saturday morning.
Some Hesperia residents, such as the Archers, have standing water in their yards as a result of the high water levels brought on by this week's heavy rainfall.
Photo courtesy of Kim Archer
The dam, Vida
Weaver Park, and the Division Street bridge all remain closed until the
river recedes back to safe levels. Residents downstream
have been under a flash flood watch, with notice to be ready to
evacuate if necessary.
Tracy and Kim Archer are one of the local
families who live around bend downstream. They said they have been scrambling to
get furniture up on blocks and to get personal items out
of their basement, while watching the river levels rapidly increase up
into their yard and into their home. According to Kim, the Archers had over
three inches of standing water as of Friday. Village President Mike
Farber says Hesperia's main concern now is the possibility
of logs and debris that may float into the bridge or the dam, which
could change the situation very quickly.
