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There has never been a “do nothing" alternative. It is not permitted to leave the dams in the rivers as they are.
Dams with normal (legal) lake levels that existed before 2020 with a lake level special assessment district are the best path forward. An updated suspension schedule was posted May 17, 2024. Please view it here.
Today Four Lakes Task Force (FLTF), the Delegated Authority for restoring the four lakes and dams in Midland and Gladwin counties, announced the Schedule for suspending restoration construction work in the coming months on Secord, Smallwood, Edenville and Sanford dams, and that the start of Edenville Dam’s final phase of construction will be delayed. All Four Dams Under Construction
The Sanford Dam permit for restoration construction was approved Thursday, October 26th, by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. The construction crews are mobilizing and work is expected to start this week. We've reached the final steps in acquiring the permit for Sanford Dam. The next steps are to get approval of the stream mitigation plan from EGLE (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy). We responded to comments received during the public comment period and submitted them to EGLE.
We are likely to receive the permit in September based on EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) final review. FLTF has made significant progress on Sanford and Edenville permitting to the point it is likely Sanford Dam will go to public comment for permitting in May. Edenville may take a little longer, however, FLTF will have a project to upgrade the embankments and add a cutoff wall this year, with a plan for a total restoration bid by the end of this year. The FLTF Webinar from April 26, 2023 provided a detailed status update.
Last week FLTF received the construction bids for Sanford Dam from two out-of-state construction companies, the bids were higher than expected. In spring 2022, Four Lakes Task Force began the process to pre-qualify construction firms for the Secord and Smallwood dam restoration projects. The result is a list of eight contractors. Of those, four confirmed their intention to bid. One company is local to the Great Lakes Bay Region. The formal bid documents were released on October 17, 2022.
 FLTF received the EGLE permit (issued on November 2, 2022) for the Secord Dam project. This means that final construction to restore the dam can take place. Bidding for final construction will be completed this year. FLTF will continue to work with EGLE throughout the construction process to ensure the project is completed per the permit requirements.
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©2026 | Four Lakes Task Force is a US 501 (c)(3) public charity, EIN 27-4698447. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
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