LANSING — Michigan’s newly passed state budget includes nearly $20 million for projects launched in response to Midland’s Edenville Dam collapse.
The funding will go toward the development of flood-resistant infrastructure and support efforts to rebuild the dams that broke in 2020.
“This budget provides additional funds to help build the type of state of the art infrastructure to ensure that type of disaster doesn’t happen again in mid-Michigan,” said Rep. Bill G. Schuette, (R) District 95, Midland.
$10 million will go to the city of Midland for flood-reduction infrastructure.
Tony Stamas, CEO of the Midland Business Alliance, says the grant will help reduce the risks of future flooding and larger natural disasters.
“The city has been working on a number of fronts to kind of build up flood resiliency within their infrastructure, and this $10 million is a critical piece of going to continuing to work for long-term solutions,” he said.
A separate $9.8 million will go toward rebuilding four dams that were lost in 2020.
The non-profit Four Lakes Task Force is set to receive the funds to support their work.
“Our big focus now is make sure we execute well and keep these costs down,” said David Kepler, president of the Task Force.
Kepler says the total cost of the work was estimated at close to $400 million.
The state previously provided $180 million in aid for reconstruction, and Kepler says the $9.8 million will go toward reducing the remaining costs for property owners.
The new grant reduces the load by about 5%, and Kepler thinks it will be the last contribution from the state.
He says people who live in Midland are looking forward to progress in the coming years.
“You see the community really working towards getting ready for this, both at their personal levels, and making sure their houses and shorelines are prepared,” he said.
Kepler says the reconstruction of the three smaller dams will finish over the next year - Sanford in early 2026, Smallwood toward the middle of the year and Secord in the fall.
Edenville presents a larger challenge, and Kepler estimates the project to finish by the end of 2027.
“Those feel like they’re holding and we’re not slipping on those — so we feel pretty good about them,” he said of the timeline.