CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - Dams in southeastern Michigan’s Macomb County are in good shape, according to a study conducted after two dams failed and flooded property in the central part of the state.
The review results were announced Wednesday in a release from the county’s Public Works office, which said the failure of Macomb County’s dams is “highly unlikely.”
“Getting ahead of this issue is key, as it is with all infrastructure,” Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said in a statement. “Our engineers inspected the structures within our jurisdiction to check for any possible safety violations, unsafe conditions or potential hazards.”
The county’s review determined ownership of each dam, agencies assigned with regulatory responsibility, downstream hazard potentials, the need for condition assessments and last inspection dates.
Only a dozen of 27 locations in Macomb County listed in a state database of storm water control structures are actual dams, according to Miller’s office.
Eight of the 12 dams are privately owned. The other four are publicly owned. None appear to have any “critical issues,” Miller said.
Eleven are in satisfactory condition, while one is considered in fair condition.
Two dams in Midland County failed this spring, forcing about 10,000 people living along or near the Tittabawassee River to be evacuated.
The Edenville dam failed during a steady rain in May, draining Wixom Lake and unleashing the Tittabawassee River, which then overwhelmed the Sanford dam, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) north of Detroit.
Dam operator Boyce Hydro Power, which has filed for bankruptcy protection, has blamed the state and residents, accusing them of insisting on high water levels.
Miller ordered a review this summer of Macomb County’s dams.
“The tragic dam failures near Midland pointed out why it is so important to be proactive about maintaining and inspecting critical infrastructure,” Miller said.
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