That Dammed River

Along the Huron River, dams have been built for different purposes over time: from 1910 to 1940 the goal was power generation, from 1944 to 1970 most were constructed for recreational and waterfront housing development, and since 1970 they have mainly been meant to create water retention ponds in urban areas. The river has been dammed many times, with 101 dams of all sizes altering its flow from Oakland County's Big Lake to Lake Erie. One result is visible at Wildwing Lake, which doubled in size when the Kent Lake Dam was built in 1947. Originally this spring-fed lake consisted only of the portion nearest this site, but when the Huron's flow was blocked, the water level rose and spread across the river valley, enlarging Kent Lake and connecting the river to Wildwing for the first time.

Michigan · United States