A judge has ruled that the owner of Boyce Hydro is liable for nearly $120,000,000 in damages caused to the environment.

Morning 4 is a quick roundup of stories we think you should know about to start your day.

The Department of the Attorney General filed a motion on Thursday after uncovering crucial facts pointing to negligence among former owners regarding the 2020 failure of the Edenville Dam.

Four dams are being restored after catastrophic failures led to four man-made lakes disappearing in May 2020.

A number of beaches in Michigan have been closed by the state due to high bacteria levels.

In this Wednesday, May 20, 2020, photo, people survey the flood damage to the Curtis Road Bridge in Edenville, Mich., over the Tittabawassee River. (Neil Blake/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)EDENVILLE, Mich. – Crews will begin lowering a spillway connected to a dam that failed last year and contributed to massive flooding in parts of mid-Michigan. The Edenville Dam Tobacco River spillway will be lowered by more than 20 feet (6 meters) starting Feb. 24 to help prevent future flooding, according to Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. More than 11,000 people in the Midland area had to be evacuated last May after heavy rains stressed the Edenville Dam, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) north of Detroit, and the Sanford Dam, about 7 miles (11 kilometers) downriver. The nearly century-old Edenville Dam had been the target of lengthy investigations by federal regulators.

The Michigan Dam Safety Task Force has been working on recommendations that would require Legislature approval to reduce the threat of dam failures after two dams failed in Midland County last May, forcing the evacuation of 10,000 people. The task force is asking for an annual $20 million revolving fund for the next 20 years to maintain and remove dams. To address hazard cleanup for when a dam owner fails to act, the task force is asking for a dam safety emergency fund. AdTask force chairman Evan Pratt said he values the sense of urgency the language provides, referring to dam safety issues in Michigan as a “ticking time bomb.” He said recommendations won't stop dams from failing, but the task force must reduce the frequency and severity of failures. “You know, how many 300-year rains has Midland seen in the last five or six years?"

Or rather, what was Sanford and Wixom Lake. In May, the failure of the Edenville and Sanford dams led to the drainage of Sanford and Wixom Lake. While a smaller river continues to run through the lakebeds, new, hazardous features have been uncovered. “Winter changes everything, if it’s snowing and you can’t see very far,” Gladwin County Emergency Director Robert North told the Midland Daily News. These two construction projects make the Tobacco River arm of Wixom Lake unusually dangerous this winter.

LANSING, Mich. – Labor Day Weekend on Sanford Lake is typically filled with boats and people having fun on the water. After May’s dam failures emptied the lake, many residents are left wondering how long it’ll take to come back. Residents are still hopeful things will return to normal. The state ordered Boyce Hydro -- the owners of the dams -- to make emergency repairs Tuesday, but since the company filed for bankruptcy, the state will likely be forced to foot the bill. Edenville faces Labor Day weekend without their beloved Wixom LakeYou can watch Tim Pamplin’s full stories above in the video players above.

Nature is returning to the dry beds of a string of mid-Michigan lakes that drained in May after two dams failed during torrential rains. (AP Photo/ Jeff McMillan)LANSING, Mich. Nature is returning to craters left from lakes drained by two dams that failed in May during torrential rain in mid-Michigan. It hopes to restore the infrastructure and shoreline of Wixom and Sanford lakes and prevent homes from being lost to the eroding edges of what were once the lakes. Under eminent domain, the owners, Boyce Hydro and and Boyce Hydro Power, could be ordered to sell the properties to the task force as the governmental body representing the counties, task force spokesperson Stacey Trapani said. Four Lakes Task Force estimates it will cost more than $30 million to stop the erosion, remove the debris left by the flooding and stabilize all four dams.

When the village of Sanford was hit by massive flooding in May, Kathy Parsch set out to find her mothers ashes. ORIGINAL STORY: Sanford woman kayaks to floating home swept away by flood to recover mothers ashesSurrounded by unthinkable destruction, there wasnt a dry eye as Parschs ashes were pulled from mud. She was joined by friends on kayaks to paddle through the wreckage to find Parschs home in a river. After visiting the house seven times, Parsch couldnt find her mothers ashes. Her mothers ashes were found the day before Sanford officials would start scooping up debris to haul away.

MIDLAND, Mich. As many as 60 residents have joined a class-action lawsuit against the owners of the dams that failed and caused catastrophic flooding in mid-Michigan. READ: Investigating who is responsible for Edenville Dam failure that led to devastating floodsTheres a lot of finger pointing as residents join a class-action lawsuit against the dam owners and the state. We moved up here because we wanted to be by the lake (where) we grew up as kids, Tom said. Lantzys law firm is representing more than 60 families in the class-action lawsuit against dam owner Boyce Hydro. The lawsuit looks to hold Boyce Hydro negligent and liable for damages, including medical expenses, property damage and property value.

Communities chip in for family expecting child who lost everything in Midland floodPublished: May 27, 2020, 6:18 pmWhen flood waters came through Midland County last week, it pushed Sam and Richie O’Keefe’s home against the post office.

When flood waters came through Midland County last week, it pushed Sam and Richie OKeefes home against the post office. The couple is expecting to give birth to their daughter Sydney Thursday. Everything the family had prepared for baby Sydney was washed away when the dam broke. RELATED: Midland County residents sue state of Michigan over Edenville Dam failureThe couple shared their story on social media and people rushed to help -- one person drove three hours to drop off some baby items. The couple said its overwhelming how helpful others have been for Sydney.

A 28-page complaint was filed in the Michigan Court of Claims by Edenville, Mich. residents David and Andrew Krieger and James and Margaret Sperling. The Kriegers and Sperlings own adjacent properties and homes on the banks of the Tittabawassee River less than a mile south of the Edenville Dam. According to the complaint, the 96-year-old earthen embankment failed after several days of heavy rain on May 19, 2020. The complaint states that the failure of the Edenville Dam and subsequent flooding of a large area in Midland County was caused, in part, by a failure of EGLE to order the necessary repairs to the dam. For decades, federal regulators had demanded changes to the design of the Edenville Dam to improve its ability to withstand flooding, and federal regulators had warned since at least 1993 that the dam failed to meet safety requirements, reads the complaint.

MIDLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Historic flooding caused by dam failures forced thousands from their homes in mid-Michigan. The Edenville dam and Sanford dams failed. At about 5 p.m. Tuesday, the Edenville Dam that created Wixom Lake gave away. MORE: Residents in Midland County return after evacuationsThe American Red Cross is still helping residents impacted by the floods. READ: Residents want answers in Edenville Dam failure that led to devastating floodsView the list of shelters below:

In this Wednesday, May 20, 2020, photo, people survey the flood damage to the Curtis Road Bridge in Edenville, Mich., over the Tittabawassee River. The lawsuit came as yet more residents were forced to evacuate their homes after being overwhelmed by flooding along the Tittabawassee River and conjoining waterways. FeganScott, a law firm that specializes in class action suits, is representing businesses and homeowners affected by the flooding. Officials have said the Sanford Dam, built in 1925, was overflowing during the flooding but that the extent of structural damage wasnt known. Wixom Lake in Midland Countys Hope Township lost most of its water when the Edenville Dam failed.

President Donald Trump, who was in Michigan to visit a Ford production plant, signed an emergency declaration authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts. In Midland, 61 people spent Wednesday night and Thursday morning in temporary shelters, according to city spokeswoman Selina Tisdale. That number — mostly the elderly and families — dwindled throughout Thursday as floodwaters receded and some residents were able to return home, she said. Much of the area remained underwater, including in Midland, the headquarters of Dow Chemical Co. And floodwaters continued to threaten downstream communities. “And my hat’s off to Midland.”Other area residents returned to their homes to find heavy damage.

MIDLAND COUNTY, Mich. A State of Emergency was declared for Midland County after two dams failed. The Edenville Dam broke and the Sanford Dam was breached late Tuesday night. It was almost a surreal piece of good news for the Midland County Emergency Management team to announce the Tittibiwassee River had crested at 35 feet on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.Its still 11 feet above flood stage and the area is still days away from the waters receding. On the Tobacco River, near the Edenville Dam people tried to salvage what they could. Unlike the Edenville Dam, where the water physically broke through -- sending parts of the dam downriver.

Trish Wilson, a Redford resident, has a cottage on Wixom Lake. Wixom Lake had been drained almost entirely after the dam failures. "This is where we have been coming since I was born.At about 5 p.m. Tuesday, the Edenville Dam that created Wixom Lake gave away. Wilson said she was near the dam when it happened and could hear the water rush through the trees. Wixom Lake flooded through the area.

Heres whats coming up on Local 4 News at 5:Dam failure empties Wixom LakeFootage shows whats left of Wixom Lake. When the dams failed, all of the water drained -- leaving not much behind. Footage also shows houses underwater.

HOPE, Mich. Catastrophic flooding caused by two dam failures in mid-Michigan have reshaped many communities. Wixom Lake is gone. At about 5 p.m. Tuesday, the Edenville Dam that created Wixom Lake gave away. Bill Sian and his family lives right at the bridge and they were home when the water came through. It looked like Niagra Falls coming over the bridge," Sian said.

This photo shows a view of a dam on Wixom Lake in Edenville, Mich., Tuesday, May 19, 2020. The Edenville dam, in Michigans Gladwin and Midland counties, includes a series of earthen embankments totaling about 6,600 feet (2,012 meters) long, with a maximum height of nearly 55 feet (16.8 meters). The Edenville dam's spillway capacity was only about 50 percent of the probable maximum flood, the commission said. Among its other violations: performing unauthorized dam repairs and earth-moving and failing to file an adequate public safety plan, maintain recreation facilities or monitor water quality. The record demonstrates that there is no reason to believe that Boyce Hydro will come into compliance," the commission added.