LANSING, MI. (WOWO) Four years after the Midland dam failures that caused major flooding in mid-Michigan, funds set aside for repairing or removing problem dams have run out. Lawmakers initially allocated more than $50 million after the 2020 disaster to shore up unsafe dams statewide. That funding h elped repair or remove dozens of dams, reducing risks to downstream communities. But Michigan still has thousands of aging dams, many exceeding their intended 50-year lifespan, and the public funding program is now empty. State dam safety chief Luke Trumble warns that without new investment or reforms, Michigan risks seeing more failures. Nearly 100 dams are in poor condition, and over 160 are classified as high hazard, meaning a failure could threaten lives downstream. Lawmakers have not passed stronger dam safety regulations, leaving private owners with little incentive to maintain their structures. Regulators have responded by ordering emergency water drawdowns at the riskiest dams to reduce the potential for flooding, though some communities resist these measures due to the recreational or historical value of dam reservoirs. The Midland disaster underscored the cost of inaction. The Sanford and Edenville dams failed in May 2020, forcing 10,000 people to evacuate and causing more than $200 million in damage. Independent reviews recommended stronger oversight and investment, but funding and reforms have lagged. Officials urge communities and dam owners to plan for long-term maintenance. Trumble emphasized that with so many dams already deteriorating, “we have to start planning very, very quickly” to avoid another disaster. The post Aging Michigan Dams Pose Risks as Funding and Reforms Stall appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM. ...read more read less