Goodrich- On Tuesday John Waskevich, project manager for Midland-based Gerace Construction Company, along with village officials, inspected the dam to curb the seepage discovered earlier this year in the century-old structure.
‘The dam poses no immediate danger to the community,? said Pete Morey, village council member. ‘Gerace Construction checked over the dam pretty good and are now working on a plan to halt the leaks. We’ll need to take the pond down farther than it is now, which will require one new floodgate that will be easier to remove. The water appears to be seeping in through the corners of the dam’it may have been leaking for years.?
The breach in the dam prompted village officials to lower the water in the pond last week. Since that time water began flowing from a drain in the west wall of the structure.
‘We are uncertain of where that water is coming from,? said Morey. ‘Much of the soil that is around the dam may be unstable due to the structures that we built there over the years. There may be loosely compacted earth that is allowing water to seep through. We anticipate within the next month or so to determine the cause of the breach when Gerace goes to work on the project.?
Last month, Jason Kenyon, engineer from WadeTrim, attended the village council meeting to address escalating issues with the village dam.
‘There are issues with the embankment of the dam,? said Kenyon. ‘Ground water is migrating around the dam. We are not sure of the condition (of the dam). While there are long-term replacement considerations of the dam in the future, there are short-term fixes that need to be addressed.?