Misteguay Creek Dam

The original structure was constructed in 1963 to hold back flood waters from Misteguay Creek Drain—a 26-mile-long waterway that encompasses 108,000 acres of watershed in Genesee, Saginaw, and Shiawassee counties. After a spring flood severely damaged the dam, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) recommended that the dam be updated to meet minimum dam safety criteria.

Spicer Group designed a plan that involved removing 15,000 cubic yards of material from the old dam and used it to raise the crest elevation in the earthen emergency spillway. The spillway was constructed with roller-compacted concrete (RCC). Over 5,600 cubic yards of RCC was placed to build a new principal spillway in a 3-½ week period. This project was also one of the first of its type to have an Inflow Design Flood Study reviewed and accepted by the NRCS as part of the design to convey minimum flood events.

The new emergency spillway covers an area approximately 175 feet by 85 feet. It now uses the impoundment more efficiently and reduces the possibility of dam failure. The spillway is now capable of conveying more than 8 million gallons of floodwater per minute over and through the dam.