Sanford Lake refill process to begin soon

SANFORD, Mich. (WNEM) – Nearly six years after the Edenville dam failure that drained Smallwood, Secord, Edenville, and Sanford lakes, one of them is set to return.

If all goes as planned, Sanford lake will be back to its normal summer water level by Memorial Day.

The refill of the lake begins on Wednesday, April 15.

David Kepler, president of the Four Lakes Task Force, is eager to begin the refill process of Sanford Lake, a major milestone.

“The lake level currently on Sanford is up about nine feet already,” said Kepler. “And so we have seven feet to go. It’s a foot a day that we can move it up, from a safety point of view, as the water allows, and it looks like it will. But then when we get to winter level, which is about three feet below the summer level, we’re going to pause for about two weeks so the engineers can observe the dam. And then we would expect to finish up. So we’ve talked about before memorial day, and we feel like that’s a pretty solid expectation to have.”

Kepler wants lake goers to exercise caution as they get to know the new Sanford Lake.

“There is a lot of debris on the lakes, we’re taking that off now off the booms that we’ve got,” said Kepler. “The lakes will take a while to settle. The shorelines are different. So we’re asking people to kind of be a little conservative on their boating as they go forward in the first couple of months. But as we get through the summer, I think people will get in a good routine.”

TV5 spoke with several locals to gauge how they are feeling about the refill.

“It’s exciting,” said Brad Phelps, a Sanford Lake resident. “After years of it not being back, I didn’t think this would happen. So we’re really looking forward to it.”

While Phelps is looking forward to boating, he is really hoping all his allergies caused by an exposed lake bottom will go away.

“Oh you name it, from pollen to ragweed, to everything,” said Phelps. “I’ve been to allergists, ENTs. You can see the dust coming through. You’re constantly vacuuming and cleaning the floors, I’ll tell you that much, every day.”

Fellow Midland County Resident Brian Dankert is quick to point out that everyone here is in a special tax assessment district to help fund the water’s return.

“It’s going to cost us,” said Dankert. “We’re going to pay for this water. It’s not free. We’ll be paying probably $2,500 over our taxes for the next forty years.”

Dankert said his wife has a unique way of looking at it.

“She calls it our condo fee,” said Dankert. “Two hundred bucks a month, and that way we have a pool, or an exercise area, it’s our condo fee.”

“I think that the reaction to the special assessment district is mixed,” said Sanford Village President Dolores Porte. “Because there is some who it’s more affordable for, and others who it’s less affordable for. But generally speaking, people want the lake back, and are happy to see that happen.”

Porte said the anticipated return of Sanford Lake holds a lot of meaning.

“We’ve made the next giant step forward to rebuilding our town,” said Porte. “It shows the resilience that we have in coming back from such a big disaster.”

As for Phelps, he is looking forward to a busy summer on Sanford Lake.

“Remember a hundred feet away from the shore, don’t ruin our sea walls or anything like that,” said Phelps. “And I hope everybody has a good time and enjoys themselves.”

Starting Wednesday, Sanford Lake will be brought back a foot per day. Once it gets to its winter level, the refill will pause for about two weeks so the engineers can observe the dam. Then, if all goes well, the lake will be restored by Memorial Day.

The next Four Lakes Task Force informational webinar is scheduled for July 8.

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