(WXYZ) — State officials held a news conference to provide an update on the aftermath of the Midland County dam failure.
The news conference was to announce a new lawsuit, filed by the state, against Boyce Hydro, the company that owned the dams that failed.
The suit seeks compensation, civil fines, and the cleanup and restoration of damages caused by Boyce Hydro’s negligence in the failure of the Edenville and Sanford dams last month.
According to the state:
The eight-count suit will be followed by a motion to compel Boyce to immediately comply with a state order to fully inspect potentially dangerous cracks and erosion in a damaged portion of the Edenville Dam that is still standing to determine what steps must be taken to protect public safety. The company’s response to the May 22, 2020 emergency order has been much too slow.
It also compels Boyce to repair damages to Michigan’s natural resources, clean up discharges of debris and hazardous materials caused by the dam failures, and pay civil fines and damages related to the disaster.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessell, Director of Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Liesl Clark and Director of Michigan Department of Natural Resources Dan Eichinger all spoke at the news conference.
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It comes as officials are working to clean up and rebuild central parts of the state near Midland severely damaged in flooding after heavy rains caused the Edenville and Sanford dams to breach last month.
