A report from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy argues for a third-party investigation into the failure of the mid-Michigan dams that caused massive flooding. | Stock photo
A report from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy argues for a third-party investigation into the failure of the mid-Michigan dams that caused massive flooding. | Stock photo
A new report from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy indicates the recent flooding in Midland County could have been avoided.
The flooding, which forced more than 11,000 residents to evacuate and caused an estimated $200 million dollars in damage, was the result of“compounding failures” involving dam owner Boyce Hydro; the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy; a release issued by the center said.
“Edenville and Sanford dams did not have to fail — they had weathered similar storms in the past,” Jason Hayes, author of the report and director of environmental policy at the Mackinac Center, said in the release. “There appears to have been an ongoing string of failures on the part of the dam’s owner, the state government, and even the federal government, to ensure this dam was properly maintained and operated.”
Since the owner, state and federal agencies all appear to have failed in their duties, the report argued that a neutral third party should conduct the investigation into the dam failures.
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