Thunder Bay Power Company (TBPC) is a hydroelectric company located in Alpena, MI. This company was formed in 1989. TBPC owns and operates four hydroelectric dams and two water storage dams in the Thunder Bay River Basin. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reissued a license for generation to TBPC on December 11, 1998.

The purpose of this website is to provide a means of compliance monitoring to the state and federal agencies according to License Articles 401 and 402. TBPC has just completed the second year of a two-year testing period of various types of monitoring. For more information about the license articles that pertain to water quality, go to the Articles page.

To view a map of our dam locations please click here.

Please click on one of the thumbnails below to view the appropriate picture gallery.

Ninth Street Development
The Ninth Street Development includes: (1) an existing reservoir with a surface area of 700 acres and a total storage volume of 6,000 acre-feet at the normal maximum surface elevation of 598.25 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD); (2) an existing retaining wall, 6 feet high by 285 feet long; (3) an existing buttressed retaining wall, 145 feet long; (4) an existing abandoned fishway; (5) an existing concrete uncontrolled spillway section, 47 feet long; (6) an existing gated spillway section, 131 feet long, containing seven taintor gates, each 14 feet long by 12 feet high; (7) an existing concrete gravity non-overflow system, 47 feet long; (8) an existing reinforced concrete and masonry powerhouse, 92 feet long by 84 feet wide, containing (a) three horizontal shaft Sampson runner turbines with a combined maximum plant hydraulic capacity of 1,520 cubic feet per second (cfs), manufactured by the James Leffel Company and rated at 600 horsepower (hp) each, and (b) three General Electirc generators, each rated at 400 kW, providing a total plant rating of 1,200 kW; (9) an existing reinforced concrete non-overflow section (a retaining wall about 20 feet long); and (10) existing appurtenant facilities.

Four Mile Development
The Four Mile Development includes: (1) an existing reservoir with a surface area of 90 acres and a total storage capacity of 900 acre-feet at the normal maximum surface elevation of 634.35 feet NGVD; (2) an existing concrete ogee spillway (constructed immediately downstream from the original rock filled timber dam), 455 feet long, topped by neadle beams, containing: (a) a log shute bay, and (b) an abandoned fishway bay; (3) an existing concrete and masonry powerhouse, 72 feet by 72 feet containing: (a) a concrete forebay, (b) three existing horizontal shaft Sampson runner turbines with a combined maximum hydraulic capacity of 1,600 cfs, rated at 850 hp each, (c) three existing General Electric generators, each rated at 600 kW, (d) a proposed Flygt Corporation turbine with a maximum hydraulic cpacity of 295 cfs (providing a proposed maximum plant hydraulic capacity of 1,895 cfs), and (e) a proposed Flygt Corporation generator, rated at 600 kW (providing a total proposed plant rating of 2,400 kW); and (4) existing appurtenant facilities.

Norway Point Development
The Norway Point Development includes: (1) an existing reservoir with a surface area of 1,700 acres and a total storage volume of 27,550 acre-feet at the normal maximum surface elevation of 670.7 feet NGVD; (2) an existing earth embankment, about 500 feet long; (3) an existing mass concrete multiple barrel arch spillway with removable needle beams, 320 feet long, containing eight barrel arch selections, each 40 feet long; (4) an existing beartrap gate section, 120 feet long, containing three beartrap gates, each 26 feet long by 27 feet high; (5) an existing abandoned fishway; (6) an existing reinforced concrete and masonry powerhouse, 86 feet long by 49 feet wide, containing: (a) two vertical shaft Francis turbines with a combined maximum hydraulic capacity of 1,675 cfs, the first manufactured by Wellman-Seaver-Morgan Company and rated at 3,350 hp and the second rated at 1,400 hp, and (b) two General Electric generators, rated at 2,800 kW and 1,200 kW, providing a total plant rating of 4,000 kW; (7) an existing earth dike, about 1,460 feet long; and (8) existing appurtenant facilities.

Hubbard Lake Development
The Hubbard Lake Development includes: (1) an existing reservoir with a surface area of 9,280 acres and a total storage volume of 57,000 acre-feet at the surface elevation of 709.6 feet NGVD; (2) an existing earth embankment section with concrete retaining walls along the upstream and downstream faces, 70 feet and 49 feet long, respectively; (3) an existing reinforced concrete spillway section, 20 feet long, containing two needle beam controlled bays; (4) an existing earth embankment section with concrete retaining walls along the upstream and downstream faces, 55 feet and 51 feet long, respectively; and (5) existing appurtment facilities.

Upper South Development
The Upper South Development includes: (1) an existing reservoir with a surface area of 7,000 acres and a total storage volume of 55,000 acre-feet at the normal maximum surface elevation of 731.0 feet NGVD; (2) an existing earth embankment section, about 40 feet long; (3) an existing reinforced concrete spillway section, 40 feet long, containing: (a) four needle beam controlled bays, each 8 feet wide, and downstream ends at both spillway abutments; (4) an existing earth embankment section, about 250 feet long; and (5) existing appurtenant facilities.

Hillman Development
The Hillman Development includes: (1) an existing reservoir with a surface area of 160 acres and a total storage reservoir with a surface area of 160 acres and a total storage volume of 500 acre-feet at the normal maximum surface elevation of 746.85 feet NGVD; (2) an existing earth fill section, about 50 feet long, with a concrete retaining wall along the upstream face, extending 35 feet from the gated spillway abutment; (3) an existing concrete gated spillway section, approximately 38 feet long, containing: (a) three needle beam controlled bays, each about 11 feet long, and (b) a reinforced concrete apron, constructed along the downstream toe of the spillway; (4) an existing non-overflow section, 26 feet long, consisting of upstream and downstream concrete gravity walls with pressure grouted earth and rock fill between the two walls; (5) an existing concrete uncontrolled spillway section, 27 feet long, (formerly the intake structure of the grist mill in the early 1900's); (6) an existing non-overflow section, 20 feet long, consisting of upstream and downstream concrete gravity walls with pressure grouted earth and rock fill between the two walls; (7) an existing reinforced conrete and masonry powerhouse, 17 feet by 21 feet, containing (a) a vertical shaft Francis turbine with a maximum hydraulic capacity of 270 cfs, manufactured by the James Leffel Company, and (b) a vertical shaft generator, manufactured by Westinghouse and rated at 250 kW; and (8) existing appurtenant facilities.