UPPCO URGES CAUTION AROUND HYDROELECTRIC RESERVOIRS WATER LEVELS BEING LOWERED

Marquette – Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO) will begin lowering water levels at its hydroelectric reservoirs to prepare for melting snow and precipitation during the spring of 2026. UPPCO’s hydroelectric project licenses are issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and require these water level changes.

The Silver Lake and Hoist Dam reservoirs are being lowered during the month of December. The Victoria Dam reservoir level will be lowered beginning in January and Bond Falls, Lake Gogebic, and Prickett Dam reservoir levels will be lowered beginning in February. These changing reservoir levels may impact ice conditions.

“Water level changes can lead to unsafe ice conditions due to the formation of an air gap underneath the ice,” said Dan Freeborn, UPPCO Manager of Communications & External Affairs. “Increased water flowing through the rivers may also cause the ice to deteriorate, creating unsafe ice conditions to develop. We are asking everyone to exercise caution around the hydroelectric reservoirs and nearby rivers, lakes and streams during the lowering periods.”

UPPCO’s hydroelectric reservoirs are expected to begin returning to their normal water levels during the month of April, depending on the rate of snow melt and the onset of spring.