BERRIEN SPRINGS — Indiana Michigan Power plans to lower the St. Joseph River water level this month at the Berrien Springs Hydroelectric Dam, so that they can complete maintenance work.

The St. Joseph River will be lowered 3.5 feet, at a rate of 6 inches per day, starting Tuesday,May 29. The drawdown will primarily affect a 3.5-mile section of the St. Joseph River locatedupstream of the Berrien Springs Hydroelectric Dam, commonly referred to as Lake Chapin.

Some effects of the lowering of the river may be noticed further upstream.

During the drawdown homeowners and those using the river for recreation should be aware ofshallow water depths and submerged objects being closer to the surface. Those who own or operate boats in the area are advised that watercraft moored at marinas and private piers could be dry docked if not removed from the water during the drawdown.

After work is complete on or before Monday, June 18, the elevation of the St. Joseph River at the Berrien Springs Hydroelectric Dam will be returned to normal operating level by or before Monday, June 25, 2018.

Indiana Michigan Power is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its 2,450 employees serve more than 589,000 customers. More than half of its generation is emission-free, including 2,278 MW of nuclear generation in Michigan, 450 MW of purchased wind generation from Indiana, 22 MW of hydro generation in both states and approximately 15 MW of large-scale solar generation in both states. The company’s generation portfolio also includes 2,600 MW of coal-fueled generation in Indiana.

American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers.

AEP’s more than 17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 224,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 33,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 4,200 megawatts of renewable energy.

For more information visit: indianamichiganpower.com