HOLLY, Mich. (WXYZ) — Over 1,000 residents have signed a petition to save the historic Stiff's Mill Pond Dam in the Village of Holly, which dates back to the 1840s.
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The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has asked the village to drain the pond immediately to reduce water pressure on the dam, but won't allow it to be refilled until repairs are made.
"One thousand signatures will make it so Oakland County has to listen to us," said Andrew Kakos, one of the residents leading the effort.
The dam has been deemed structurally unsound, with engineers reporting since 2002 that it doesn't meet stability requirements. This puts it at elevated risk of failure during high-water events, potentially causing environmental damage, property damage, and endangering public safety.
Residents fear draining the pond would devastate local wildlife and property values.
"Their strategy for all of Michigan is really to get rid of all dams. If they did that here, which is draining the pond rather than fixing it, then they would be essentially draining this whole area, creating more of, like, a stream versus an actual river, so they'd be killing tons of wildlife," said Ash Schuler, a local resident.
"Along with those, you've got protected plant life. Dwarf Lake Iris is federally protected. Iris that grows on the banks of the Shiawassee," Kakos said.
Residents also worry about practical impacts on their daily lives.
"Property value will plummet because you're no longer living on, you know, lakefront. All the people in this area are on a well, and when you drain the pond, you're gonna lower the water table, and many of us will have to get new wells drilled. Most of the people in this area are low-income, they're elderly," Schuler said.
EGLE confirmed they've advised the village to explore rehabilitation or removal of the dam as a long-term solution, but aren't currently calling for permanent dam removal.
Oakland County Commissioner Bob Hoffman believes caution is needed.
"Now, if they are just talking about fixing and improving or replacing the embankment, I'm all for it 100%, but I'm not in favor of them getting rid of the dam," Hoffman said.
According to EGLE, unauthorized modifications the village made to the dam's embankment in 2021 worsened conditions.
Village Manager Tim Price acknowledges the dam's historical significance but faces financial constraints, with repair estimates ranging from $2 million to $3 million.
"There's a little money set aside for lake improvements in past years. I think it's about $140,000, but it doesn't come near the amount that is needed in order to make any of the repairs that are required," Price said.
Price suggests establishing a legal lake level with the county as a potential solution.
"The mill pond is a shared resource between not only our township but Rose Township as well. And so one of the things that we could do is or the community could do is we could look at establishing a legal lake level with the county where it says it has to be at a certain amount and what that would do is the county would get involved and take over the ownership of the dam and also be able to share a lot of those financial responsibilities with all of the people that are around the mill pond, not only just our residents," he said.
A community discussion will take place on Tuesday at 6pm at the Village of Holly's council chambers. Studies about the pond will be presented along with regulatory recommendations, and public comments will be open.
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