Consumers Energy to Install Buoys Below Dams for Safety

JACKSON, Mich., June 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers Energy is coordinating with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to install buoys this month to help warn the public to stay out of potentially unsafe areas immediately downstream of hydro facilities.

"People should not be in the immediate area of a dam's tailrace or spillway for boating, wading or any activity. For safety purposes, our employees can enter these areas only after following stringent safety procedures, which include locking out equipment that affect flow and wearing personal protection equipment," said Rich Castle, Consumers Energy's natural resource administrator for hydro operations. "Our plan is to install the buoys at Foote, Cooke, and Croton dams, and eventually at all of our 13 dams, once we determine the devices are suitable for our hydro operations."

The buoys will stretch across the rivers directly below the dams, where released water can be dangerously turbulent and life threatening. The public is asked to stay downstream from the buoys. Tampering with the public safety device could result in criminal prosecution.

"Consumers Energy has a promise we take seriously to protect the Michigan communities we serve, and that includes taking steps to keep our properties and facilities safe that are open to public recreation," Castle said. "We also want to emphasize that people need to quickly exit the river and heed the sirens and signs that indicate imminent danger from dams during changing flow conditions."

Foote and Cooke dams are on the Au Sable River in Iosco County. Croton Dam is on the Muskegon River in Newaygo County.

Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest utility, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and electricity to 6.6 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

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SOURCE Consumers Energy