United States District Court Judge Paul Maloney ruled on Monday, November 27, 2023 that the earthen embankment spanning both the Tittabawassee and Tobacco Rivers located in Midland and Gladwin counties otherwise known as the Edenville Dam collapsed on Monday, May 19, 2020 in response to heavy rainfall as a direct result of poor maintenance and lack of need repairs. The decision rendered by Judge Maloney affirms that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy are entitled to $119.8 million in damages from the owners of the dam in compensation for damage to fisheries and mussel habitat.
Widespread flooding caused by the catastrophic failure of the Edenville Dam is known to have caused more than $200 million in damage and forced the emergency evacuation of more than 10,000 people at the time.
It is also important to note that both Wixom Lake, the 2,600-acre reservoir lake created by the Edenville Dam, and 1,250-acre Sanford Lake, the reservoir lake formed by Sanford Dam that failed after being overwhelmed by the massive wall of water that flowed violently downstream when the Edenville Dam failed, ceased to exist as manmade lakes due to the loss of their impounded waters.