State to hire 3rd inspector for dam safety program

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A third inspector is expected to be hired for Michigan’s Dam Safety Program.

Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy says the hiring of a senior environmental engineer will improve the safety of state-regulated dams.  

Mid-Michigan’s 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 north of Detroit.

In June, EGLE announced a team of six independent experts who will perform an independent forensic investigation of the contributing factors that led to the failures of dams.