HOLLY — Officials involved in the Stiff’s Mill Pond restoration are asking residents to disclose any additional dams they may be aware of after engineering work unexpectedly identified a second earthen structure helping retain the pond.
The structure, an earthen dike located in a wooded area away from the main spillway, was identified during LiDAR work and later inspected by the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office. Until then, it had apparently been helping retain Stiff’s Mill Pond for decades without appearing in project discussions, repair plans or anyone’s understanding of how many dams were involved.
The discovery has prompted officials to encourage residents to inspect wooded areas, wetlands and suspiciously deliberate-looking hills for dams, dikes, embankments or other structures that may have quietly joined the pond’s water-retention system. Residents who voluntarily disclose an unknown dam will not face penalties, provided they come forward before financing and construction plans are finalized.
“We’re not angry,” said one project official. “We just need everyone to tell us how many dams there are.”
Officials warned, however, that anyone later found knowingly harboring a fugitive dam could face additional engineering review and a very uncomfortable conversation about why nobody mentioned it sooner. Residents were also cautioned against attempting to conceal undocumented dams beneath brush or other vegetation, which officials noted is unlikely to defeat LiDAR.
The request has already prompted some residents to reconsider previously unremarkable features of their property. “I’ve lived here 41 years and that mound behind the shed has always been there,” said longtime resident Douglas Kline. “If it turns out to be a dam, I want it noted that it came with the house.”