The dam has a 14 year troubled history:
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said it repeatedly raised concerns about the Edenville dam’s ability to prevent flooding during extreme conditions because of its inadequate spillway capacity.
globalnews.ca
But when you look at the timeline of the events leading up to the events:
September 10, 2018 – FERC revokes the Edenville Dam license. Upon revocation of the FERC license the dam became regulated under Part 315 Dam Safety of the NREPA MCL 324.31501 et seq.
"In its 2018 order revoking Boyce Hydro’s license, the commission said its primary concern about the dam was its inability to handle “the probable maximum flood” — the type of event that could be expected from “the most severe combination of critical meteorologic and hydrologic conditions that is reasonably possible” in the area."
October 2018 – DEQ alleges Boyce Hydro, LLC conducted a major drawdown of Wixom Lake without obtaining the necessary permits.
October 4, 2018 – DEQ Dam Safety Staff meet with dam owner and perform a cursory inspection of the dam to identify any critical deficiencies at the dam. Water levels were observed to be approximately 4.1 feet below normal lake level.
May 16, 2019 – Permit WRP016343 v.1 issued to Boyce Hydro, LLC for refill of Wixom Lake back to normal summer pool elevation.
September 25, 2019 – an application was submitted for an eight-foot drawdown of Wixom Lake. The application for permit was subsequently denied on November 25, 2019.
November 2019 – Boyce began drawing down Wixom Lake notwithstanding denial of their permit application.
December 5, 2019 – Consent Judgement entered resolving previous enforcement lawsuit requiring Boyce Hydro to obtain Part 91 permit and Notice of Coverage; restore impacted wetland and stream areas; conduct floodplain compensation; obtain an after-the-fact permit; and pay $161,000 of enforcement costs and charges.
December 12, 2019 – Enforcement Notice issued for drawdown of Wixom Lake without authorization.
December 20 & 23, 2019 – DNR and EGLE conducted site inspection and performed mussel surveys.
February 6, 2020 – Pre-application meeting with Four Lakes Task Force consultants to discuss repairs, permitting, next steps.
March 16, 2020 – Pre-application meeting with Four Lakes Task Force consultants to discuss repairs, permitting, next steps.
May 1, 2020 –Complaint filed in Ingham Circuit Court. Case No. 20-000255-CE Attorney General Ex Rel the People of the State of Michigan; The Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy; and the Department of Natural Resources v. Lee Mueller; Boyce Michigan, LLC; Edenville Hydro Property, LLC; Boyce Hydro Power, LLC; Boyce Hydro, LLC; WD Boyce Trust 2350; WD Boyce Trust 3649; WD Boyce Trust 3650; Stephen B. Hulberg; and Michele G. Mueller. The purpose of the complaint is to recover natural resource damages for the harm caused by the unauthorized 2018 and 2019 drawdowns.
May 19, 2020 – Edenville and Sanford Dams breach and fail during flooding event. Secord and Smallwood Dams reported to be in stable condition by Boyce Hydro staff. Water reported to be receding at both dams.
It looks as if Boyce Michigan, LLC started taking steps to address the issues with the dam in 2018 and they were repeatedly thwarted by the residents and the State. It looks as if environmental concerns were greater than dam safety concerns.
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