Sanford Dam Failure

Property owners were unsuccessful in their court challenge of the special assessments that will go towards repairing the Secord, Smallwood, Sanford and Edenville dams after they were destroyed in 2020 by mass flooding.

A bill proposed by Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) and Congressman John Moolenaar (R-Caledonia) are pushing to cut red tape for communities impacted by natural disasters.

Much of the restored materials from the 2020 flooding is in storage awaiting a new home at Midland Center for the Arts.

In the five years since the Sanford dam failure, the village has rebuilt. But financial challenges persist as the community works on infrastructure projects and prepares for a special assessment to rebuild the dam.

A federal $130 million loan to restore four dams in Midland and Gladwin counties has been denied.

The Four Lakes Task force, the group that manages the dam, says clearing trees out of the lake bottom is one of the big hurdles still left to cross.

A pivotal decision is expected today in the effort to rebuild mid-Michigan dams that failed in 2020.

It will be a few more days before a dam safety task force will finish its final report.The task force was expected to complete its work on Wednesday.…