Dear Editor,

The article on dam safety (“Is local Millpond dam safe?” Clarkston News, September 2, 2020) is an informative start.
Of course, there should be governmental interest in inspecting the dam, but it is privately owned and the responsibility and expense for maintaining it should be borne by the owners.
I’m always concerned about potential efforts to shift costs and liability to taxpayers.
It would be helpful to know what government is doing to compel dam owners to comply with government requests for information about dam maintenance, and the extent to which dam owners are insured to cover damages to the city, township and property owners resulting from any dam failure.
It seems as though there should be detailed records available about dam inspection and maintenance.
These are key to ensuring public safety and also would be potentially useful in assessing any criminal and/or civil liability by government and/or dam owners in the event of a dam failure.

Sincerely,
Michael Fetzer
Clarkston