South Haven Taking Action To Address Street Flooding

southhavencityhall2-8
southhavencityhall2-8

The South Haven City Council has approved a short-term plan to address flooding near the intersection of Dunkley Avenue and East Wells Street, just to the east of the Black River. City Manager Brian Dissette tells WSJM News high water levels in Lake Michigan have created persistent problems there, and the council this past week approved a plan from Department of Public Works to mitigate them.

“It’ a plan that will install a variety of barriers, including tiger dams, sandbags, and gravel berms,” Dissette said. “The intent is to better manage where the water can be and then we’ll be adding some additional pump capacity to try to draw down the water levels.”

Dissette says there will be a more long-term plan later, but this will at least stabilize the situation. Dissette says there’s standing water on parts of the street, which has been closed, and water has seeped into several of the buildings nearby. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is predicting a large range of possibilities for the Great Lakes water levels over the next 12 months. The city will have to adapt.