Trowbridge Dam sent power 24 miles to Kalamazoo
In 1899, a 22,000-volt line carried power 24 miles from Trowbridge Dam to Kalamazoo. Today, the dam sits inside an active PCB cleanup.
In 1899, power from Trowbridge Dam traveled 24 miles to Kalamazoo on a 22,000-volt line. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation includes that line in its national hydropower timeline. It was an ambitious reach for the era.
Michigan DNR dates the dam’s construction to 1898 and says it supplied Kalamazoo’s new streetlight system. Consumers Energy traces the project to company founder William A. Foote and describes Trowbridge as Michigan’s first major hydroelectric dam. Construction came first; the long-distance line was in service by 1899.
The next chapter is less tidy. Paper-mill waste left PCB-contaminated sediment in the Kalamazoo River and behind the dam. The state began stabilizing the site in 2019, but removing the dam safely first requires a much larger sediment cleanup overseen by EPA with DNR and EGLE.
EPA’s April 2026 update says crews removed more than 300,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment in 2025. Work in 2026 includes finishing dredging, installing temporary sheet piling for dam removal, removing contaminated soil, and stabilizing the river channel and banks. The 26th Street launch remains closed while that work continues. The place that once carried power across southwest Michigan is now being carefully unbuilt, one contaminated layer at a time.
Where to see it
Treat the Trowbridge Dam reach as an active cleanup site, not an overlook. EPA says the 26th Street boat launch remains closed, and signs upstream direct paddlers away from the work area. Check EPA's Trowbridge Dam page before planning river access.
Sources
Last reviewed against the listed sources: July 20, 2026.