Neighborhood dealing with fourth flood of 2009
ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - The storms that swept through West Michigan over the weekend have left serious water damage across the region.
North of Plainwell, flooding turned at least one neighborhood into a swamp when a pond overflowed, spilling water into yards, homes and gardens at 110th Avenue and Gainder Road, and it's not the first time it's happened in 2009.
Now, neighbors are pushing for changes to stop the flooding.
The township supervisor says that the area has not flooded in more than 30 years. He says if you were to go back 10 or 15 years, that old lake was dry.
People living in the area now are asking for help after they've dealt with flood after flood after flood.
Steve Amani is looking at knee-high water in a carport, several storage sheds and a garage, but what has him frustrated is that he's seen flooding like this before.
"Not again, that was pretty much it, it was not again," said Amani.
February saw the second flood of 2009 for Amani, who showed Newschannel 3 home videos of what his garage looked like underwater then.
A pond in the area has flooded the neighborhood near 110th Avenue and Gainder Road four times in just six months.
The most recent flooding cost Marsha Holden her garden and the fruits and vegetables that she usually cans for winter. Now, she can only harvest night crawlers.
"Well it's all the hard work and then the food we're going to have for later in the winter, we're not going to have," said Holden.
The Township Supervisor says 2009 is the first year for floods since 1975. He says an old lake that was dry during years of drought now has nowhere to drain in wet conditions.
"The water table now is the highest it's ever been since the 1970's, the early '70's," said Make Nandenburg, Plain Township Supervisor.
A drain to the Gun River could alleviate the flooding, but it would run more than two miles and cost homeowners in the area more than a half a million dollars.
"We're not asking for money," said Amani, "I'm not asking for money, I just don't want this to happen again in the future."
The pond in the area has no county drain, if the neighborhood wants one, the Township Supervisor says that only residents will pay for it.
