Groveland Twp.- Too much water. Too few answers.
That’s the message County Line Road resident Steve Dunn received as he watched the white caps on the small lake that appeared along the west side of his Atlas Township home.
‘It’s been getting higher every year,? said Dunn, a resident for 22 years. ‘Part of my driveway is under about a foot of water’I guess on the bright side, I have lakefront property.?
Dunn, along with his neighbors, have been battling rising water over both sides of about a quarter-mile of County Line Road just east of M-15. The road borders Oakland and Genesee counties.
The depth has prompted Road Commission for Oakland County crews to raise the roadway an estimated six-to-eight feet higher over the past few years. However, since late last year the water depth has escalated to the point where several homes, including Dunn’s, are in danger of being flooded.
On Wednesday morning representatives from the township, Atlas Township, the RCOC, the Genesee County Road Commission, the Department of Environmental Quality, Genesee County Drain Commissioner Division of Water & Waste Services, State Representative Paul Scott and several residents impacted by the flood gathered on the roadway to help resolve the issue.
‘Six weeks ago we were in the same situation,? said Bob DePalma, township supervisor. ‘This water just never goes down, we just can’t wait two weeks to fix this problem. These people deserve a road.?
DePalma and Atlas Township Supervisor Shirley Kautman-Jones had been in contact with the RCOC to rectify the problem.
Scott Sintkowski, RCOC Highway Maintenance Staff Engineer said the water needs to be drained off the fields down to Kearsley Creek requiring crossing about 800 feet of Consumers Energy right of way. However, the utility company was not in attendance on Wednesday nor had they given permission for the ditching to proceed.
‘Consumers has been contacted by us and Senator Deb Cherry’s office’the issue has become political,? said Sintkowski. ‘We are just waiting on Consumers to move forward.?
Sintkowski responded that a timeline for the ditch would be in place by Thursday morning, and the RCOC would work on the ditch.