An independent report has been released on failures at the Edenville and Sanford dams that caused historic flooding in Midland County in 2020. Outdated infrastructure and poor soil strength were listed among the primary causes of the flooding.
The report was commissioned by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
The independent forensic report concludes that blame for dam failures in Sanford and Edenville cannot be placed on any one individual, organization or group.
Investigators point to the overall system which the four dams and its parties were operating in.
This system spans the 100-year life span of the dams, and includes dam financing, construction, operation, upgrades and regulatory hurdles.
Essentially, the report says all of those factors contributed to the dams failing.
The report says the dam failures were quote “foreseeable and preventable.”
One of the foreseeable aspects was the lack of a spillways, which is infrastructure used to prevent floods.
John France is one of the lead investigators of the report.
He says Boyce Hydro, one of the companies who owned the dams, did not generate enough money to meet federal spillway regulations.
"The spillway needed to meet the FERC requirements of a probable maximum flood spillway was estimated to cost five to ten million dollars," said France. "And the total revenue from these four hydro projects together was on average about two million dollars. The three owners during the period of FERC regulation contended and we think with some good reason that, that revenue stream was not enough to allow them to get financing to build that relatively expensive spillway. It did not get built and was not built and was not in place at the time of these failures."
During the press conference, France was asked if there was any more information regarding the company’s culpability in this case. The report doesn’t provide information regarding the dam owners besides the failure to provide adequate spillways.
"We’re not a legal forensic board so we don’t have subpoena ability. We don’t have ability to compel production of records," said France.
However, the investigation did obtain some financial records from Boyce Hydro, who has since declared bankruptcy.
"We really have no way to fact check and verify that he is providing us honest information. We’re taking it that he is. And that’s what we have based our judgements on," France added.
Another major factor investigators are citing for the dam failures is the amount of rainfall. France says when the dams failed, Midland County had received nearly four-inches of rain in one day. That’s more than they normally get in the whole month.
"So in addition to the most of the rain fall falling in the upper basin above Edenville dam in addition, it occurred over a relatively short period of time concentrating that amount of water," said France.
In a written statement, the Four Lakes Task Force, a non-profit that oversees the maintenance and operations of four dams and lakes in Midland and Gladwin counties, wrote “It is important to Four Lakes Task Force that all the findings of this report are considered in the final design of our dam and lake restoration plans."
The task force says it will provide a more detailed analysis after it reviews the independent report.
The report found emergency response provisions for the dams were out of date. But it says actions taken by Midland County’s Emergency Manager Jenifer Boyer were proactive and prudent.
Around 18 hours before the Sanford dam broke, Boyer ordered an evacuation of Jerome Township along Sanford Lake. With the help of firefighters and EMS, they were able to evacuate 3,500 homes in five hours.
First responders went door to door, telling people to evacuate.
Boyer told WCMU if she had waited for the emergency response from Boyce Hydro it may have been too late.
More than 10,000 people were evacuated. The report said if evacuations had been delayed until after the Sanford dam failed, it is possible lives would have been lost.
