Green Oak Township officials say they’re doing all they can to come up with a solution for high water levels and flooding issues from Island Lake.

Township Supervisor Mark St. Charles says those problems have become more prominent in the last two years, but that recent flooding from heavy rainfall was a “disaster”. He tells WHMI that Fonda Lake is not only seven feet higher than Island Lake, but that it also drains into Island Lake adding, “For all intents and purposes, Island Lake is just like a bathtub, but with no outlet, so when we get this kind of rain the water gets pretty high. The last two years it’s gotten up to several of the roads, we’ve got water going into basements…the residents on Island Lake have wanted me to try to raise the level of the water in Fonda Lake, which I don’t even know if that can be done because the lake level has been set.”

St. Charles and other leaders recently met with representatives from the Livingston County Drain Commission, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. St. Charles says the two-hour meeting affirmed all that Green Oak officials know, which is that there is no simple or short-term solution.

St. Charles says they then decided their next plan of action was to see if Island Lake waterfront property owners would support a special assessment to fund a study exploring options for further consideration. Thus far, he says that idea has not been well-received by the few homeowners he’s approached. He feels it’ll be helpful if officials visit the area and then sit down with drawings and maps to get the big picture.

St. Charles says a lot of residents are upset by the high water levels and flooding, and feels it’s important that neighbors know officials are meeting and working to determine what can be done, if anything. He does admit that any solution they come up with will be “very expensive”; with at least a six-figure price tag. (DK)