Edenville Dam in Michigan — Live Webcam
Where Edenville Dam is located
Edenville Dam is located in the central part of Michigan, USA, within Midland County. The structure sits at the confluence of two rivers — the Tittabawassee and Tobacco — approximately a few kilometers from the settlement of Edenville, which shares its name. This location became widely known far beyond Michigan after the events of 2020, when the dam failure led to massive flooding. Today, the live webcam allows you to monitor the condition of the site in real time — from the destroyed sections to the ongoing restoration work.
Construction history and the creation of Wixom Lake
Edenville Dam was built in 1924 by Frank Isaac Wixom, a former circus owner, and created Wixom Lake — a reservoir with a capacity of approximately 36,000 acre-feet (44 million m³). Wixom purchased land along the Tittabawassee River and initiated the construction of a hydroelectric power plant to supply electricity to the region. The reservoir quickly became a popular recreation spot — cottages and homes along the shoreline were built over decades, and Wixom Lake became the center of local recreational life.
Interestingly, Frank Wixom never saw his project fully completed — he died in 1923, a year before construction finished. His heirs completed the dam and launched the hydroelectric plant without him. For nearly a century, Edenville Dam reliably served as an energy source and regulated river flow, until the disaster struck in 2020.
Technical specifications of the structure
The dam was an earthen embankment 52–54 feet (about 16 m) high and 6,130–6,600 feet (1,868–2,012 m) long, situated at the confluence of the Tittabawassee and Tobacco rivers in central Michigan. The structure included a concrete spillway gate with distinctive triangular (chevron) elements that regulated water discharge. At the top of the dam was a bridge structure with railings and engineering equipment — it served both as a river crossing and for maintenance of hydraulic mechanisms.
Wixom Lake covered an area of approximately 2,000 acres and was one of four lakes created by a cascade of dams on the Tittabawassee River. The system included the Secord, Edenville, Sanford, and Pine dams — all operated by a single company. This proximity later played a fatal role: the failure of one dam triggered a cascading effect.
The disaster of May 19, 2020
On May 19, 2020, after several days of heavy rainfall, Edenville Dam failed at approximately 5:30 PM, releasing billions of gallons of water and causing catastrophic flooding in Midland County. The water level in the Tittabawassee River rose more than 10 feet in a matter of hours. Approximately 10,000 residents were urgently evacuated from the flood zone — many left their homes just minutes before water surged through the streets.
The failure of Edenville Dam triggered a cascading effect — water overtopped the downstream Sanford Dam, which also failed, flooding the city of Midland. Damages exceeded $200 million. The flooding damaged thousands of homes, roads, and infrastructure facilities. Midland, known as the headquarters of chemical giant Dow Chemical, was partially inundated — water entered the plant premises and surrounding areas.
Causes of the failure: soil liquefaction
The cause of the failure was static liquefaction of loose sands within the embankment, which became saturated with water and lost their strength. The report called the disaster "preventable." An independent investigation led by a University of Michigan professor revealed that problems with the dam had been known for decades.
As early as 1999, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) revoked the hydroelectric plant's operating license due to safety violations. In 2004, the dam operator was ordered to expand the spillway to pass floodwaters, but the requirement was never fulfilled. In 2018, the license was transferred to a local organization, Four Lakes Task Force, but by then it was already too late — the structure was in critical condition.
Consequences for the region and ecosystem
After the dam failure, Wixom Lake completely drained, exposing the lakebed and leaving the shoreline without water. Thousands of homes that had stood on the lake shore for decades suddenly found themselves in the middle of a wasteland with a muddy bottom. The real estate market in the region collapsed — lakefront home values dropped by 50–80% within the first few months.
The dam failure caused massive fish die-offs in the Tittabawassee River due to toxic waste contamination, and also triggered a bloom of toxic algae Prymnesium parvum. The exposed lakebed revealed deposits accumulated over nearly a century of the lake's existence — they contained heavy metals and other pollutants. The Tittabawassee River and its tributaries suffered a severe ecological blow, the effects of which were felt for several years afterward.
Restoration of the dam and Wixom Lake
Four Lakes Task Force received final permits to restore Edenville Dam. The cost of repairing all four dams was estimated at $338 million (2020). The plan includes creating new fish habitats (log cribs, stone reefs) before the lake is refilled. The project became the largest in the region's history — it involves not simply rebuilding the dams but a complete reconstruction meeting modern safety standards.
Restoration work began with site clearing and reinforcement of remaining structures. Engineers developed a new spillway design capable of passing significantly more water volume than the old one. Special attention was given to ecological aspects — artificial reefs and fish shelters are being created on the lakebed before the reservoir is filled, so the lake ecosystem can recover faster. The restoration of Wixom Lake became Four Lakes Task Force's largest project and continues to this day.
What the camera shows
The camera overlooking Edenville Dam broadcasts a live feed from the site of one of the largest hydropower disasters in modern U.S. history. The footage shows a significant destroyed section of the dam with exposed soil, earthen embankments, and debris from concrete structures. The concrete spillway gate with distinctive triangular (chevron) elements is all that remains of the 1924 hydroelectric plant. The murky brownish water is a result of erosion from the exposed lakebed of the former Wixom Lake.
At the top of the dam is a bridge structure with railings and engineering equipment. Orange warning buoys are visible in the water, marking hazardous zones. Around the dam are earthen embankments and vegetation that is gradually reclaiming the abandoned areas. The stream runs 24/7, allowing viewers to monitor the progress of restoration work and the condition of the Tittabawassee River at any time of day. The online camera gives you the opportunity to see firsthand the scale of destruction and how slowly nature is reclaiming the territory that people took from it nearly a century ago.
