Canton residents angry with Wayne County as backyards fall into creek

Erosion from creek destroys Canton backyards

CANTON, Mich. – Last summer, Local 4 spoke with residents who live on a 7-mile stretch of Fellows Creek, which winds behind many homes in Canton Township.

Some of the homes are in danger because of erosion caused by the ever-widening creek.

Residents said Wayne County hasn't made any progress in fixing the problem. More of the residents' backyards have fallen into the creek, and one woman thinks the creek needs to be reshaped and steered away from her and her neighbors' property.

Robyn Lam said on Aug. 1, 2016, that she was worried about the erosion of the creek causing further damage to her property.

More of her backyard has fallen into the creek and part of a tree killed by erosion took out her power lines. She was also forced to move her septic tank.

Besides the thousands of dollars spent, it's been hard for Lamb to deal with the stress.

Wayne County Commissioner Joe Barone and his staff said they've been out to survey the property since last summer. He admits the creek is under the county's purview, but said the question is how the creek came to encroach on the properties.

Barone wants a thorough assessment done on the creek before the homes start to crumble.

"I started asking for help 20 years ago," Lamb said.

Part of the frustration for Lamb is the runaround. She's dealt with the health department and tried to call the drain commissioner. Now the case is in the hands of the director of public services, Beverly Watts.

The county isn't sure if this is a result of a drainage issue, but Barone said if it's a county problem, they'll fix it.

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Jason is Local 4’s utility infielder. In addition to anchoring the morning newscast, he often reports on a variety of stories from the tragic, like the shootings at Michigan State, to the off-beat, like great gas station food.

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