By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Recent flooding events along the Huron River in Hamburg Township are emphasizing the need for long-term plans.

The Hamburg Township board met Tuesday night, where an update was provided by Supervisor Pat Hohl. He noted the river reached its 4th highest level and commended public safety and other staff for their phenomenal work during the recent flooding event, which is continuing. Hohl noted there were also extensive power outages, which placed tremendous stress on DPW staff that worked extended hours but did so safely.

Power has been restored and grinder pump problems had all been resolved by Tuesday, with the exception of 7 or 8 homes where pumps had to be turned off because of flooding but Hohl said those were being checked continually. He said they’re seeing a slow decrease in water levels and fire department crews have been out trying to remove down trees, including one big one in the river. In general, Hohl said residents are very appreciative and noted police have been patrolling areas that are inundated for safety.

He said they are keeping extensive records and will deliver an in-depth report at the end of October but cautioned the board that they’ll need to start looking at some things. Hohl commented that there are grant opportunities but they really need to address the situation with regard to the river and flooding – adding his heart goes out to the residents but it’s frustrating because there’s not much they can do when the water comes but try to accommodate and provide for their needs.

Hohl said the flooding event was caused by weeds and noted there was a 26.5-inch shift in the river due to weeds, which was calculated by the National Weather Service. He said they had an anomaly this year with weeds being relatively non-existent until around July 25th. An earlier drought kept the weeds down but when the water came and the weeds "popped", the river was too high to do the annual weed harvesting and get equipment in.

Hohl said they’ve received a lot of support from different entities and the plan is to drill down and get some specifics, noting they can’t overcome the geography but hopefully can try to mitigate it. He said the goal is to do strategic planning and establish a documented expectation of what they can and can’t do in a flooding event as there are limits and they can only do so much.

Photo: Cathy Davis.