Benton Harbor-based engineering firm Wightman has received an award for its work to remove an old dam in the Dowagiac River in Niles. Wightman received the Engineering Merit Award for its work on the Pucker Street Dam Removal and Dowagiac River Restoration project from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Michigan this month. Wightman civil engineer Suzannah Deneau told us this week the concrete dam was built in 1928 on top of a wooden dam built in 1894. The city of Niles used it to generate electricity before deciding to take it out in the 90s.
“The dam was too costly to maintain without creating enough electricity to offset it,” Deneau said. “That decision was made in about 1999, and then they decided to open the eight foot gates and drop the impoundment down.”
https://www.wsjm.com/2023/03/19/dam-removal-project-in-niles-receives-accolades/
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