Today FLTF posted its formal response to the Independent Forensic Team's (IFT) final report on the failure of the Edenville and Sanford dams. FLTF's overall conclusion is that the report is robust. We are taking the learnings outlined in the report and addressing them in our plans going forward.

A new fact sheet about Four Lakes Task Force provides background information and summarized plans for the recovery and restoration of the four dams. The document includes background information about the lakes and dams, details about estimated funding, and an overview of the four critical issues for success. We encourage you to take a look and even print a copy for yourself!​

We are pleased to see this interim report from the forensic investigation team. The five-member independent forensic team (IFT) is investigating the failures and the physical and human factors that contributed to the cause of the Edenville Dam and Sanford Dam failures. In this interim report, the IFT’s findings to date on the physical mechanisms are presented in only summary form, with all the detailed evidence being compiled and presented in the IFT’s final report to be issued in the next several months.

As we mark the one-year anniversary of the rain event that changed the lake communities of Midland and Gladwin counties, we have a choice. We can look back and see a difficult time in our history, or we can see the tremendous resilience, renewal and collaboration that emerged as we brought our collective strengths together for recovery. ​

This report is generally consistent with the framework and priorities of Four Lakes Task Force, including our desire to see the stabilization of the Tobacco side of the Edenville Dam. ​

​To my Four Lakes neighbors –
I know many of you were devastated by the dam failures and resulting floods that took place on May 19th. Many of us lost our homes or we have to rebuild, and all of us lost an important part of our lives. Our businesses and livelihoods were threatened, and now what once were beautiful lakes are barren fields and a winding river. While the flood may have washed away so much from our lives, what was not lost in its waters was our hope and our resiliency.