2020 Midland dam break

Last year’s flooding destroyed 2,500 structures and property owners say government shares the blame for the dams’ neglect. But is restoring recreational lakes a public necessity?

The fine may be purely symbolic, since Boyce Hydro has declared bankruptcy. But the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chair called it “a clear message” to other dam owners that the agency is serious about dam safety.

In a report detailing 86 recommendations designed to improve dam safety in Michigan, members of a state task force focused on changes to state law and policy, along with funding fixes to prevent future dam failures like the Edenville break in May.

From the failure of two Midland-area dams to continued damage from climate change, Michigan’s environment was often in the news this year.

The state’s dam program suffers from a “culture of minimal enforcement” and lacks the time, staff, and budget to properly do its job, an outside review team has found.

A report into a massive dam failure in mid-Michigan didn’t assess blame, but recommends breaching part of the Edenville Dam to minimize damage and other safety concerns.

Facing a host of lawsuits, companies that operated the dams that failed during historic flooding seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, using the filing to list a litany of grievances against federal regulators and neighbors.

Michigan is adding a third dam inspector as part of reforms following the failure of the Edenville Dam that caused $200 million in damages. One inspector who oversaw the dam defends the state’s actions, saying “There’s no ‘Easy’ button, or we would have pushed it.” 

In a claim filed this week, a Sanford couple whose home was destroyed in the floodwater argues federal regulators never should have granted Boyce Hydro a license to generate power at the Edenville Dam.