It's been five years since the Edenville and Sanford dam failures in Mid-Michigan catalyzed widespread evacuations, property destruction, and enduring legal battles, as ABC12 reported. Today, Midland and Gladwin counties bear the weight not only of physical restoration but also of the financial toll, with property owners shouldering roughly $218 million in special assessments for dam restorations. The Four Lakes Task Force, managing the restoration on behalf of the counties, is driving forward with repairs, aiming to reconstruct the dams to prevent history's repetition, according to WCMU.
Despite promises of improved infrastructure, many locals grapple with the burden of these costs, such as Jan Colton, who had to end retirement prematurely to address levies she deems unfairly distributed, despite various lawsuits and appeals that have all been dismissed by the courts even as individuals from her Heron Cove Association sought reforms in how special assessments are applied, WCMU reports. This hardship adds to the lingering starkness of landscapes forever altered, where once-thriving lakes are now mere memories and lakefront properties face an indefinite wait for the return of water and the vibrant life it once supported.
For some residents, the disaster's aftermath has halted their notion of home, as encapsulated in the plight of Julie Vezina, whose Sanford Lake house stands unfinished, a stark contrast to the sanctuary she once envisioned, "It’s coming back," Vezina told MLive, speaking of the lake with cautious optimism, but acknowledging the inherent struggle and beauty in the recovery process for both the community and nature itself.
