FLINT, Mich. (AP) - A newspaper reports that many Michigan dams are old and need upgrades, especially the Hamilton dam in downtown Flint.
State dam safety chief Byron Lane tells the Detroit Free Press that dams are like any aging public infrastructure. He says they can be a "ticking time bomb."
The newspaper reported Sunday that the Hamilton dam on the Flint River is considered to be in unsatisfactory shape, along with the Otsego and Trowbridge dams on the Kalamazoo River in Allegan County.
The state says removal of contaminated sediment in the Kalamazoo River is delaying removal of the Otsego and Trowbridge dams. The Boardman dam on the Boardman River in the Traverse City area is rated poor.
Dozens of dams are close to 50 years old or older.
