A bipartisan group of legislators in Lansing have unveiled a $500 million plan to avert future dam catastrophes in Michigan.
On the one-year anniversary of devastating floods caused by the failure of two dams on the Tittabawasee River in Midland and Gladwin counties, Michigan House and Senate sponsors of the plan said they’ll introduce a package of bills to deal with the state’s aging dam infrastructure.
Republicans Rep. Annette Glenn and Senate Appropriations Chair Jim Stamas represent Midland, which is one of the counties hardest hit by the May 2020 floods. Both legislators are listed as sponsors of the package.
“The unthinkable happened one year ago in Sanford and Midland – and this disaster should serve as a wakeup call for our entire state,” Rep. Annette Glenn, R-Midland, said.
“The resilience and unity shown by our community after this tragedy will serve as inspiration to demand and do better as a state related to dam safety. We must put in the hard work necessary to ensure something like this never happens again anywhere in Michigan,” Glenn added.
Other Republican sponsors of the plan include Sen. Rick Outman, Six Lakes, and Rep. Roger Hauck, Union Township, and Speaker of the House Jason Wentworth.
“A year ago, heavy rainfall led to the breach of two local dams that literally washed away homes and businesses and caused millions of dollars in flood damage,” Stamas said. “It was heartbreaking to see the devastation facing so many people, especially when almost all of it could have been prevented if improvements to the local dams had been made to ensure they could handle the water levels. As we mark this solemn anniversary, I am sponsoring legislation to help prevent dam failure disasters like we saw a year ago from impacting other communities in our state.”
The $500 million plan would create three funds to provide funding for dam safety projects, including:
- The Dam Risk Reduction Revolving Loan Fund for projects prioritizing risk reduction;
- The Dam Safety Emergency Action Fund for emergency response activities by the state where a dam owner fails to pay for necessary work; and
- The Emergency Dam Safety Grant Program for dam rehabilitation or removal. The grants would provide matching funds to federal funding or seed money for independent projects.
The new House-Senate plan aims to craft policy improvements, some based on recommendations from the Michigan Dam Safety Task Force, including funding for safety upgrades, dam repairs, restoring lake levels and replacements of aging facilities, along with stronger requirements increasing public involvement in future emergencies.
“Key safeguards and infrastructural investments will put our region on the road to recovery and give our state needed procedures so that we can identify spots of concern and work the problem before tragedy unfolds,” said Hauck, another Republican who represents a portion of Midland County.
The plan makes several policy reforms in state law. Some of the changes would require dam owners to maintain strong safety and maintenance records, while also proving they have strong enough finances to handle potential problems.
“This plan sets aside dedicated funds for our community and cuts through the bureaucracy to use them faster,” Wentworth said. “The people I talk to around here are concerned about something like this happening again and whether these old structures will ever really be fixed. I get it – there’s been a lot of talk and too little action. With these bills, we are going to lock the state into a real plan big enough to actually fix the problem and fast enough to start delivering results in our most vulnerable areas before it’s too late.”
