JACKSON, Mich., Jan. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers Energy is advising the public to practice extreme caution when visiting areas near its 13 hydroelectric generating plants in the winter months, located on the Manistee, Muskegon, Au Sable, Kalamazoo and Grand Rivers.

In particular, the utility is warning people about the likelihood of thin ice upstream and downstream of the dams.

"Ice conditions on the reservoirs next to these hydro plants can change rapidly due to unpredictable weather. In particular, we want the public to be aware of the possibility of thin ice and dangers associated with the ice immediately upstream of the dam itself," said Donald Baker, river hydro superintendent for Consumers Energy.

Water currents at a hydroelectric plant can be hazardous in winter, when a reservoir may or may not be covered with ice. Ice near a dam is not reliable and should be avoided by snowmobilers, anglers and anyone else.

Ice-covered water downriver from a hydroelectric facility should also be considered very dangerous, and is never a safe place to walk.

Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest utility, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and electricity to 6.6 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

For more information regarding Consumers Energy, go to:www.ConsumersEnergy.com or join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/consumersenergymichigan

SOURCE Consumers Energy