Due to May, 2020 catastrophic dam failures in mid-Michigan, from September 2020 to February 2021, Evan Pratt, P.E. served as Chair for the State of Michigan’s Dam Safety Task Force, with a mission to recommend regulatory, financial, and programmatic improvements to help ensure Michigan dams are appropriately maintained, operated, and overseen to protect Michigan residents and aquatic resources. More information here.
Pratt notes: “There are several dams in need of repair, removal or other upgrades in Washtenaw County, the Huron River Watershed, and across the state – over 2,600 in all. The 86 recommendations in this report represent over 1,500 hours of work by a team of 21 multidisciplinary experts and offer a roadmap to better environmental and fiscal management of the public trust in Michigan.”
Update: As of March, 2022 several foundational recommendations of the Report have been implemented, but we need your help to continue advocacy for the most impactful policy and funding recommendations! Over half of the key recommendations are outstanding and require legislative action. Please consider a contribution to PMW.