MUSKEGON, Mich. — A low-lying section of Muskegon's Blufton Neighborhood has been plagued by ongoing flooding since the spring of 2019.
About 40 residences on Edgewater Street, which runs along the west end of Muskegon Lake, are impacted by the ongoing flooding.
The street has been underwater so many times in the last two years Edgewater resident Todd Rebone has lost count. He does know it's happening far too often, and at one point in July Edgewater was underwater, "for about 30-days," Rebone said Monday.
Muskegon's Department of Public Works can remove water from the road, but that involves a large pump at the corner of Edgewater Street and Wilcox Avenue. The city uses the pump to offer temporary relief to residents. However as soon as the pump is turned off another rain event or powerful winds push waves on Muskegon Lake towards Edgewater Street and the street fills again.
The city has also tried to control flooding with large concrete blocks along the road and where Wilcox Avenue meets Muskegon Lake.
Muskegon's Department of Public Works will ask city commissioners Tuesday for permission to spend $15,000 to hire an engineering firm to study flooding on Edgewater. If approved the study would be used to determine the best options moving forward to address the persistent flooding.
"It's not going to be an easy fix, it just isn't," Rebone said.
The study is expected to review design options that could reduce or prevent flooding from driveway elevation modifications to raising the roadway, installation of new storm sewers, and a stromwater pumping station.
"I'm hoping that they can come up with a resolution that everybody will be happy with and that moving forward people 30-years from now won't even have to deal with this," Rebone said.
If approved the study should be completed and recommendations available for city leaders to review before the end of 2020.
The next Muskegon City Commission meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 8.
The meeting can be viewed at 5:30 p.m. on the City of Muskegon Government Facebook page.
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