Planning to hold back dam disasters

And the scale of the challenge is large. Michigan has more than 2,600 publicly and privately owned dams. The state regulates more than 1,000 of them, while the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission oversees another 90 hydroelectric dams. Many of these structures date back to the early 20th century, long past their intended design life. More than 140 Michigan dams are classified as “high hazard potential,” meaning their failure could cause loss of life and severe property damage. About 15% of those high-hazard dams are either in poor condition or lack a current safety rating.

Neglect any infrastructure long enough, and it will fail. Dams that have lasted a lifetime can fail in an instant – with catastrophic consequences. In the U.S., dam collapses have claimed at least 140 lives in the past 50 years.

A stronger safety net

In the wake of the 2020 disasters, the Association of State Dam Safety Officials and a Michigan Dam Safety Task Force called for urgent reforms. The task force issued 86 recommendations, spanning funding, compliance, enforcement, and emergency response.

EGLE expanded its Dam Safety Unit from two staff members to eight – more boots on the ground for inspections and compliance work. Enforcement practices were standardized to create consistent oversight. The state also established a $6 million Dam Safety Emergency Action Fund for urgent repairs and removal projects. The remaining $5.2 million in the fund is committed to two projects and will be spent over the next couple years.

The DRRGP wrapped up in May 2025 with its final round of awards and no new funding in its place.

Success stories

The DRRGP helped communities tackle some of the toughest infrastructure challenges they faced. In Arenac County, for example, $2.3 million in DRRGP funding announced in 2023 supported upgrades to secure the Forest Lake Dam for decades to come after heavy rains in 2020 damaged the dam’s spillway, forcing officials to lower water levels for safety.

In Flint, the program provided $1.5 million to remove the Hamilton Dam on the Flint River, a crumbling structure more than a century old. Its removal not only reduced safety risks but opened up 25 miles of river and tributaries for fish passage, improved spawning habitat, and boosted prospects for riverfront redevelopment.

All told, projects funded under the program reduced risks to nearby residents, restored natural river systems, and set the stage for new recreational opportunities.

Challenges ahead

Still, the urgency of dam safety remains high. Local governments and private dam owners often lack financial resources or the ability to address decades of deferred maintenance.

With so many dams having reached or surpassed their design life expectancy, action is needed now. Increasing age only accelerates deterioration of dams, sometimes necessitating immediate action such as lowering of impoundments – the lakes or ponds formed behind dams – or emergency stabilization or removal. The urgency of these actions is often clouded by loss of recreational use of impoundments and can result in public opposition to taking actions necessary to protect the safety of dams.

Future risks such as flooded streets and homes, destroyed infrastructure, and even potential loss of life can seem abstract compared to current tangible benefits like fishing, boating, or enjoying waterfront property.

Michigan’s dam safety staff focus on identifying and assessing the structures that pose the greatest risks, reviewing construction plans, analyzing inspection reports, enforcing compliance, and responding to emergencies. But more awareness and support are needed.

Call for resilience

Dams were built for a wide range of purposes – hydropower, flood control, water supply, recreation – but most were never meant to last forever. And as climate change fuels more intense storms, they are under mounting stress. Resilience is essential to the state’s safe and successful path forward.

That means investing not only in repairing critical structures but also in removing obsolete ones to restore river systems, improve fish passage, and create safer, more natural waterways. It means helping communities navigate the balance among recreation, habitat, and – most importantly – safety. Above all, it means doing our best to ensure that Michigan never again faces a disaster or near-disaster like those that struck in 2020 and this year.

Dams can provide beauty and recreation, but when aging or neglected, they can unleash devastation. As Michigan weighs next steps, the lessons are clear: Proactive, preventive action must remain the top priority.

Adapted from an article by EGLE Field Operations Engineering and Enforcement Section Manager Luke Trumble in the 2026 Michigan State of the Great Lakes Report.