HOLLY, Mich. – The historic Holly dam is at the center of a fight between homeowners and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE).
EGLE said the water levels of Stiff’s Mill Pond need to be lowered. Homeowners disagree.
Jack Stouffer has lived along Stiff’s Mill Pond in Holly for three years.
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Stouffer said his backyard has never looked or smelled worse.
“It smells, it looks bad, it smells like rotten apples,” he said. “I was going to put a seating area out here to overlook this, and I don’t want to do it now.”
Homeowners in Holly are at odds with EGLE. The dispute centers on the earth embankments near the historic Holly Dam.
Inspections found the embankments were unstable, putting them at elevated risk of failure that could endanger lives and property.
“I think the danger to property and life is overstated,” said Stouffer. “It feels like they’re jerking us around like doing a power play.”
EGLE said the pond’s water levels were lowered this off-season to help mitigate the risk, and unauthorized modifications made by the Village to the dam’s embankment had worsened the situation.
In response, the Village of Holly filed an injunction in the Court of Claims to stop further drawdown actions.
“It’s very odd that the DNR doesn’t seem to be concerned about the ecosystem or the wildlife here; they’re just focused on the dam,” Stouffer said.