JACKSON, Mich. — Twenty years ago a group of houses on Douglas Street in Jackson sat 10-15 feet above the lagoon at Sparks Foundation County Park.
Now, a neighbor says her and her neighbors are living on a wetland.
"I’ve had the house painted inside and out, re-plastered, floors redone, thousands and thousands of dollars. The main support beam of my house is cracked. The concrete in the basement is breaking up," said Elaine Wolf-Baker, who lives on Douglas.
She first heard about the water damage in her neighbors’ homes in 2014. When she discovered she was having the same issue, she did some digging.
"I was told that around 2000, the park plugged up the stream. So now the lagoons don't have any drainage."
Rising water levels caused flood damage in her neighbors' basements. Elaine says the lagoon needs to be dredged to fix the problem.
But the county say it hasn't found what's causing the flooding.
"We certainly want to be good neighbors and help them solve the problem, but until we have factual information that really helps us narrow down what the solutions are, we don't want to go out and spend taxpayer dollars on a so-called solution that wasn't based on fact, and have it not work, and have wasted what could potentially be millions of taxpayer money," said Jackson County Parks Director Jeff Hovarter.
Elaine's had a bypass system and three sump pumps installed -- all working overtime to keep the water from getting in her house. But it's not enough. And it's not just her block. The damage is causing nearby homes to lose value, leaving their occupants racing to sell
"Now we've all stopped doing things to hour houses. It's a real problem. And we're all upset. We're all very angry."
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Download our free app for Appleand Android
and
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.
