Latest news, weather, high school sports for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

NEGAUNEE TOWNSHIP -- It hasn't seen sunlight in 90 years.

Now the McClure Penstock, built in 1919 is being replaced, two years after an expansion joint ruptured.  It shut the line down, and shut down UPPCO's electricity production on the Dead River.

The McClure Penstock, a pipeline that carries water from the McClure Dam to the powerhouse13,200 feet away, is one of five hydro-dams on the Dead River.

The Federal Regulatory Commission gave UPPCO permission this fall to clear the work roads, the site of the new pipeline, along with tearing out the old one.

UPPCO is still waiting for approval of the new Penstock design.

"We hope to have that by the end of the year", said Project Manager, Bob Meyers, "so we can start ordering the pipe and have the pipe manufactured, so that we can have the pipe delivered prior to spring so that we're ready to go in the spring."

At it's peak the McClure Dam produces 8 Megawatts of electricity, enough to power approximately 8,000 homes.

The new pipeline is expected to be working a year from now.   And the mild weather this fall could speed up that deadline.

"Next year when pipe is available, we'll be able to start installing pipe a lot sooner", said Meyers.  "And hopefully we'll be ahead of schedule next year, by getting more work done this fall."

The total project will cost between $15 and $17 million dollars, depending on the price of steel.

And while crews work on the Penstock, the viewing area for the falls near Forestville will be closed to the public.

Noon - Newsroom

For being only 13,000 feet long, it took a long time to tour the McClure Penstock, and dam.  There's not a road that connects the two, so we started at the dam, then worked out way down to the area where crews are ripping out the old 1919 pipe that makes up the former Penstock.  Next to it sits the freshly dug ground where the new one will be buried next Spring.  The pipes, about seven feet tall, and 50 feet long.  It's pretty amazing how the excavator picked a piece up and put it on a truck to carry it down to the yard, where another crew was tearing them apart for salvage. The operator made it look effortless.  Check back later for the full project timeline, the cost, and the number of homes that can be powered by the McClure Dam when it's operational again.

9 a.m. - November 18 - Newsroom

I'm going to check out the McClure Penstock Replacement Project this morning. 

I've never seen that section of County Road 510, so I'm looking forward to seeing a new section of Marquette Township.  I'll check on how far crews have come in getting the hydro-dam back online and generating electricity.  I've also been told I could come back to the station dirt covered.