MI Edenville Dam Collapse: Ex-Owner Ordered To Pay $119M In Damages

MIDLAND, MI — The former owner of a mid-Michigan dam that collapsed in 2020 and flooded Midland was ordered to pay more than $119 million in damages, according to the Michigan Attorney's General Office.

Judge Paul Maloney ruled Monday that Lee Mueller and his company Boyce Hydro that operated the Edenville Dam are liable for $119,825,000 in damages to the state's fisheries and its freshwater mussel ecosystem.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources believes the flood caused more than $21 million in damage to state fisheries, and at least $90 million in damage to an ecosystem for freshwater mussels.

"The dam’s ownership completely disregarded imminent threats to the safety and integrity of the dam, and as the State clearly demonstrated before the Court, Lee Meuller and his business were responsible for the disaster that struck Edenville and other area communities," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. "This nearly $120 million judgement is important, both as a measure of accountability to the community Mueller devastated and as a deterrent to other owners of critical infrastructure."

The Edenville Dam, which sat at the Tittabawassee River and the Tobacco River, collapsed after three days of rain in May 2020. Officials said the east embankment of the dam failed, sending a surge of water downstream that forced thousands of residents in the Midland area to evacuate.

State officials maintain that the dam collapsed as a result of poor maintenance and a lack of critical repairs. Mueller, on the other hand, said he believes the dam failed because of a defect during construction about a century ago.