Sanford Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sanford Lake |
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 Sanford Lake
Location in Michigan
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| Location | Sanford, Midland County, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 43°42′N 84°23′W / 43.700°N 84.383°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Tittabawassee River |
| Primary outflows | Tittabawassee River |
| Catchment area | 20,971 acres (8,487 ha) |
| First flooded | 1925 |
| Max. length | 6 mi (9.7 km) |
| Max. width | 0.5 mi (0.80 km) |
| Surface area | 1,429 acres (578 ha) |
| Average depth | 9.3 ft (2.8 m) |
| Max. depth | 26 ft (7.9 m) |
| Water volume | 13,899 acre⋅ft (17,144,000 m3) |
| Shore length1 | 34.5 mi (55.5 km) |
| Surface elevation | 631 ft (192 m) |
| Frozen | Winter |
| Settlements | Sanford |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Sanford Lake was a large, man-made lake in Midland County, Michigan. It was created by building a dam across the Tittabawassee River near the town of Sanford, Michigan. A man-made lake like this is called a reservoir.
Sanford Lake was built in 1925. Its main purposes were to help control floods and to create hydroelectric power. Hydroelectric power is electricity made by using the force of moving water. The lake stretched about 6 miles (9.7 km) north from the dam. At its widest, it was a little over half a mile across. The lake was a popular spot for fun activities until May 2020, when its dam failed.
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Fun at Sanford Lake
Sanford Lake was a very popular place for people to visit. It was a favorite spot for families and friends from Midland County and nearby areas. People could get to the lake from two public spots. There were also many private access points for communities around the lake.
Summer Activities
On summer weekends, the lake was full of activity. You would see many different kinds of boats. People enjoyed riding pontoon boats and personal watercraft, like jet skis. It was also a great place for sport fishing. Many people came to swim in the lake's waters.
Sanford Lake Park
One of the main public spots was Sanford Lake Park. This park was located on the west side of the lake, close to the dam. Midland County took care of the park. It had many cool features for visitors.
The park offered boat ramps for launching boats. There was a sandy beach area where people could play volleyball. It also had a swimming area. Parking was available for boats and jet skis. Families could use picnic pavilions for meals. There were playgrounds for kids and sometimes a concession stand for snacks. You could drive your car into the park for a small fee, or you could arrive by boat.
Lake Shore and Homes
Most of the shoreline around Sanford Lake had homes built along it. These were mostly single-family houses. Many of these homes were part of small neighborhoods. These communities often had their own private places to launch boats. They also had picnic areas and ways for people who didn't live right on the lake to get to the water.
Further north, the lake's edge had some natural areas. These included wetlands and wilderness. But there were still houses mixed in with these wilder spots. There was also one small boat marina on the east side of the lake. It was called Sanford Lake Marina.
Water Quality and Plants
The water in Sanford Lake was generally good. Because it was a reservoir with a muddy bottom, the water could sometimes look a bit cloudy. This cloudiness is called turbidity.
In the 1990s, tiny creatures called Zebra mussels arrived in the lake. These mussels helped make the water much clearer. However, clearer water also meant that water weeds grew a lot more. These weeds grew especially well in the shallower parts of the lake. People tried different programs to control the weeds over the years. They had some success, but it was a continuous effort.
Fishing in the Lake
Sanford Lake was home to many different kinds of fish found in Michigan. Anglers could catch a wide variety of species.
Types of Fish
Some of the fish you could find included:
- bluegill
- rock bass
- perch
- calicos
- northern pike
- crappie
- catfish
- walleye
- smallmouth bass
- largemouth bass
- musky
- suckers
- carp
In the spring of 2006, the Michigan DNR added 65,000 walleye fish to the lake. They released them near the Sanford Lake Marina boat ramp. The lake also hosted several fishing events each year. These included bass fishing competitions and a catfish derby.
The 2020 Flood Event
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In May 2020, a very sad event happened. After a lot of heavy rain, the Edenville Dam, which was upstream from Sanford Lake, broke. This happened on May 19, 2020. When the Edenville Dam broke, a huge amount of water rushed into the Tittabawassee River. This river then flows into where Sanford Lake used to be.
The floodwaters quickly became too much for the Sanford Dam. The dam's "fuse plug" washed away. A fuse plug is a part of a dam designed to break away safely in an emergency to release water. However, the water also went around the sides of the dam. This led to the Sanford Dam failing completely.
Dam History and Ownership
The Sanford Dam was built in 1925. Before it failed, the state had given it a "fair" condition rating. The Edenville Dam, built in 1924, had a "poor" rating. Even so, the state thought it was good enough for another hydroelectric generator.
At the time of the dam failures, both dams were in the process of being sold. They were going to be bought by a group called the Four Lakes Task Force (FLTF). This group was created by Midland and Gladwin counties. After the dams failed, the FLTF announced they would stop trying to buy the properties under the old agreement. They decided to look for other ways to get money to buy the properties later on.
