Not entirely convinced that new catch basins will solve the problem, the Lake Orion Village Council recently authorized the department of public works to dye test a sewer on Lakeview Street, provided the village has the legal authority to do so.
With soil borings completed, a recommendation from Village Manager JoAnn Van Tassel authorizing existing catch basins be replaced with deeper ones, at a cost of $13,000, was postponed from the April 24 council meeting.
On May 8, the council again debated the drainage issue, as council member John Ranville said a ‘big solution? would be to see if one of the homeowners would consider relocating a private drain.
‘There used to be three private drains, and one is still working,? he said.
Lakeview property owner Paul Widlak, who has been in correspondence with the council since last July about the problem, said one of the drains is plugged and hasn’t worked in years. Ranville countered that everytime he’s visited the area, it’s dry.
‘It must be working,? he said. ‘I can’t see throwing money away.?
Besides replacing leaching basins, the council could also consider obtaining an easement agreement to pipe water from the basins towards Lake Orion. President Bill Siver noted that using that option would mean dealing with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).
‘Maybe our alternative is to get an easement from Mr. Widlak, and have it run down where he has the problem,? he said.
Widlak told The Review that he doesn’t want a sewer line going through his property, which he’s owned since 1991.
‘It’s only been my principal residence for about a year,? he said. ‘The road fills up like a bowl, and the two drains in the middle of the road don’t work.?
Widlak said the problem occurs when it rains more than an inch, when the entire road drains towards his property.
‘There used to be a low spot in the road that was 100 feet north,? he said. ‘It’s gotten worse over time. They redid the road in 1999 or 2000, and now the road is higher.?
Widlak noted that his is the only property that’s being consistently flooded
‘I take the water for the whole neighborhood,? he said. ‘And that’s what I’m saying is unfair.?
At the council meeting, Ranville said the solution from township engineers Hubbell, Roth and Clark of replacing the catch basins would only work for light rains. ‘You’ll still have the same problem,? he said. ‘It won’t drain during heavy rain.?
Widlak said he has trees that are more than 75 years old on his property, which would be affected by salt and road run-off if a pipe went past his house.
Council member Michael Toth wondered how the council would even know if basins recommended by HRC would drain enough water. Siver said HRC’s report seemed contradictory.
?(HRC’s) saying we need to put basins in at 10 feet…then you go to the report where (HRC) answers our questions, and it says they’re at 10 feet already,? he said.
Ed Zmich of HRC said the only ‘fool proof? solution would be to create an outlet to the lake. Siver noted that space there is tight, and no one wants to give an easement, or deal with the MDEQ for hard water run-off.
‘To me, this is just a waste of money,? he said.
Zmich said if the basins go 15 feet, you’re at lake level. ‘Your only window is at approximately 10 feet,? he said.
Widlak noted that water is not coming out (by the lake) in a large volume like it used to. Van Tassel said the DPW has previously poured water into drains to test where the water comes out.
However, she said the village does not own that drain.
‘So if we find out where that goes, we’d have to talk to someone about using (the drain),? said Toth. ‘It has to go somewhere.?
The council resolved to investigate if the village has the legal right to dye test the drain between 284 and 288 Lakeview, and if so, to authorize the DPW to do so and determine where the water is coming out.
The village will also correspond with the MDEQ to find out what the requirements are for putting in an outlet to the lake.
Widlak said one of his neighbors sees the drainage as a ‘city problem,? while another has moved his driveway higher.
‘He’s putting in some sort of drain, he tells me, so his garage doesn’t get flooded,? said Widlak, who asked the council to consider putting in a two-inch curb at the lip of the road to help alleviate the ‘massive amount? of water coming onto his property.
‘You would protect me from being deluged when it rains more than an inch,? he said. ‘That could stop 90 percent of my problem.?
Van Tassel said that would only be moving the drainage problem to someone else’s property.
‘You don’t solve it,? she said.
‘I don’t like the fact you’re doing a band-aid fix,? Siver said of the request.