French Landing Dam and Powerhouse

{{Short description|Hydroelectric dam in Michigan, U.S.}}

{{Use American English|date=July 2025}}

{{Infobox dam

| name = French Landing Dam and Powerhouse

| name_official =

| image = French Landing Dam and Powerhouse.jpg

| image_size = 275

| image_caption = French Landing Dam in March 2019

| image_alt =

| location_map = Michigan

| location_map_size = 250

| location_map_caption = Location within the state of Michigan

| location_map_alt =

| coordinates = {{coord|42.214293|-83.440662|region:US-MI_type:landmark|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| country =

| location = 12100 Haggerty Road
Van Buren Charter Township, Wayne County, Michigan

| purpose = P

| status = O

| construction_began =

| opening = {{Start date and age|1925}}

| demolished =

| cost =

| builder = Detroit Edison Company

| owner = Van Buren Charter Township

| operator = STS Hydropower

| dam_type = G

| dam_crosses = Huron River

| dam_length = {{convert|180|ft|m}}

| dam_elevation_crest =

| dam_width_crest = {{convert|890|ft|m}}

| res_name = Belleville Lake

| res_capacity_total = 1,270 acres (5.1 sq km)

| extra =

}}

File:French Landing Dam and Powerhouse historic marker.jpg marker]]

The French Landing Dam and Powerhouse is a hydroelectric gravity dam and powerhouse crossing the Huron River in Van Buren Charter Township in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The dam and the powerhouse were completed in 1925 by the Detroit Edison Company on land previously purchased in 1910. The dam and powerhouse were designated as a Michigan State Historic Site on February 18, 1982.{{cite web|last=MichMarkers.com|url=https://www.michmarkers.com/default?page=L0998|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112095044/https://www.michmarkers.com/default?page=L0998|url-status=usurped|archive-date=January 12, 2019|title=French Landing Dam and Powerhouse|date=2019|accessdate=January 11, 2019}}

The French Landing Dam is about {{convert|28|mi|km}} from the river mouth at Lake Erie. It is the second-to-last of the 17 dams along the {{convert|130|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} Huron River, approximately {{convert|7.9|mi|km}} downstream from the Ford Lake Dam and 18.4 miles upstream from the Flat Rock Dam.{{cite web|last=Huron River Dams Network|title=FRENCH LANDING DAM|url=https://www.hrwc.org/DamReports/DamPDFs/FrenchLanding.pdf|date=November 2015|accessdate=January 11, 2019}} When the dam was completed, the resulting reservoir created Belleville Lake and subsequently led to the destruction of the village of Rawsonville.{{cite web|last=Only In Your State|url=https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/michigan/underwater-ghost-town-mi/|title=Most People Have No Idea There's An Underwater Ghost Town Hiding In Michigan|date=July 14, 2016|accessdate=January 11, 2019}}{{cite news|last1=Bingham|first1=Emily|title=These 11 Michigan ghost towns are eerily intriguing|url=http://www.mlive.com/travel/index.ssf/2016/10/michigan_ghost_towns.html#2|accessdate=January 11, 2019| work=MLive.com|publisher=Mlive Media Group|date=October 26, 2016|page=3}}

When completed, the powerhouse had a hydroelectric generating capacity of 12.7 kilowatt hours. The powerhouse was decommissioned in 1962. In 1981, the property was donated to the township, restored, and put back into service in 1988 and is still operational. The powerhouse currently has a capacity of 1.7 MW.[https://books.google.com/books?id=pu87ZFPtK_gC&dq=michigan+hydropower+nameplate+kw&pg=PA256 Inventory of Power Plants in the United States as of January 1, 1998], United States. Energy Information Administration. Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric and Alternate Fuels, 1998 The powerhouse facility and the dam are off limits to the public, but the surrounding area along Haggerty Road has been organized as the French Landing Park, which is a popular destination for picnickers and shore fishermen.{{cite web|last=Van Buren Township|title=Van Buren Township Parks|url=https://vanburen-mi.org/Recreation/VBT-Parks.html|date=2003|accessdate=January 11, 2019}}