Michigan lawmakers ponder dam safety reforms, but ask who will pay
From: BridgeMI.com
- A state House committee pondered legislation that would toughen Michigan’s weakest-in-the-nation dam safety standards
- More frequent inspections would be required and dams would have to be able to pass more water
- One lawmaker questioned who would pay for the costly upgrades that would be necessary under the proposal
Using terms like “long overdue,” “grave situation,” and “desperate need,” state lawmakers on Wednesday held their first deliberations about dam safety reforms after spring floods triggered failure scares at old, undersized dams across the state.
During a state House Natural Resources & Tourism Committee hearing in Lansing, dam safety officials warned that unless Michigan strengthens its weakest-in-the-nation dam safety laws, the state will remain vulnerable to dangerous, costly failures that put people and the environment at risk.
“We just witnessed one of — if not the — largest flooding event in Michigan’s history,” said state dam safety chief Luke Trumble. Five small dams failed and multiple others “were very, very close.”
“The reality is that it’s not a question of if” another such emergency will happen, he said, but “will we be prepared?”