About Chappel Dam

Chappel Dam in its current form was built in the early 1920s and was used to produce electricity.  It was sold in 1961 to Gladwin County for $1 and remains the property of Gladwin County.  Today the dam is operated and controlled by the 5 member Wiggins Lake Authority currently consisting of two lake residents (Mike Hermann and Tom Stack), the County Drain Commissioner, Terry Walters, County Commissioner representing Sage Township, Ron Taylor, and Sage Township Supervisor Renee Zelt. The Authority meets in May, July, and September at the Sage Township Hall. 

Chappel Dam is classified as a “High Hazard Dam” by the State of Michigan regulatory authority (EGLE) which necessitates certain safety regulations including tri-annual professional inspections, certain security requirements, etc.

The dam is operated by a volunteer group of lake residents with the support of the County and Wiggins Lake Authority.  The volunteer group brings a diversity of experience in administration, engineering, and governmental activities.  The dam is largely automated and can be monitored and operated remotely by the volunteer team. The volunteer team created and follows an Authority approved Operations and Maintenance Plan, along with an Emergency Action Plan, approved by the State Dam Safety and County Emergency Management agencies.

Cost of operating the dam is paid for in large part by residents of the lake based on an annual operating assessment.  The current annual budget, supported by the assessment is approximately $43,500 for years 2024 – 2028.

Mike Hermann currently serves as the Volunteer Operations Manager. Questions can be sent to info@wigginslake.org