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Alcona Dam, Michigan
Alcona Dam on the Au Sable River in Michigan.
Open in BirdTrout44.56199, -83.804482 · Alcona County · NID MI00150. Tap the map to open this water in the live app.
What the runs do here
Au Sable River carries no anadromous run on our corridor map, so this page makes no claim about salmon or steelhead at this dam. What it sits on is coldwater — resident trout water — and the section below says which classification says so.
The structure
- Owner
- Consumers Energy Company Public Utility
- Purpose
- Hydroelectric
- Completed
- 1924
- Type
- Gravity
- Height
- 60 ft
- Length
- 4820 ft
- Spillway
- Controlled
- Storage
- 25,000 acre-ft · 1,075 acre pool
- Drainage
- 1,594 sq mi
- Condition
- Fair · High hazard potential
- Status
- Under Remediation
From the National Inventory of Dams (USACE). Hazard potential is a downstream-consequence classification, not a statement about the structure's condition.
The water above and below
- Bamfield Creek 0.65 mi from the dam · Cold transitional stream (MDNR VSEC) · typed Cold-transitional
- Smith Creek 1.11 mi from the dam · Cold stream (MDNR VSEC) · typed Cold
Coldwater designation is the state's own classification. A dam sits on one river and this list is every designated reach within a mile and a half of it, so a tributary mouth shows up here too.
Water right now
| Gauge | Distance | Temp | Flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Au Sable River near Curtisville, MI | 0.1 mi | 59.4 °F | 1,190 cfs |
| Au Sable River near Mc Kinley, MI | 3.9 mi | 58.3 °F | 1,020 cfs |
| Au Sable River near South Branch, MI | 7.9 mi | 60.8 °F | — |
Live from USGS. A gauge miles away is a gauge miles away — the distance column is there so you can discount it. A hydro dam's releases move the flow below it on a schedule the gauge sees and this page does not.
Getting to it
- Alcona Park Modern Campground 0.7 mi · boat launch · Alcona Dam Pond
- Alcona Park East Campground 1.2 mi · boat launch · Alcona Dam Pond
- Alcona Park West Campground 1.5 mi · boat launch · Alcona Dam Pond
- Au Sable River At 4001 Bridge Landing 3.8 mi · walk in
- Au Sable River - Forest Road 4842 6.3 mi · walk in
- Au Sable River At Bear Island U.s. Forest Service Campground 6.5 mi · walk in
Public access sites near the dam, straight-line distance. A dam itself is private property unless its owner says otherwise; these are the places the state lists as open.
Fly shops nearby
- Ausable River Outfitters 17.3 mi · Mio · +1-989-826-6900
- Bait & Tackle Shop 29.7 mi · +1-989-742-4370
- Dean's Bait & Tackle, Incorporated 32.6 mi · Alger · +1-989-836-2460