OAKFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- Matt Farage lives on Tek-e-nink Lake in Oakfield Township. He believes the water table is rising and affecting the integrity of his property. And he blames the township.
Farage said his home has experienced flooding and is shifting. He believes dredging has taken place in a nearby channel that’s caused the water to backup the lake.
He’s pointing the finger at the township and a developer who lives nearby, down Lincoln Lake Avenue.
FOX 17 stopped by the township office and spoke with Township Supervisor Greg Dean. He didn’t want to go on camera but showed a map of Oakfield Township and each body of water. He said the water from Tek-e-nink flows away from Farage’s home into another stream and into Wabasis Lake.
Dean said the developer hasn't done any dredging and has pulled the proper permits to build on the land. Farage lives in an area that's like a wetland and Farage doesn’t know what he’s talking about, he said.
FOX 17 also talked to the developer. The Stearns are an elderly couple who own close to 200 acres of land. Mrs. Stearns said Farage has caused a stir previously but she said she doesn’t know why he has an issue with them or their development, which is sitting idle.
Stearns said she and her husband have pulled the proper permits to build, and they haven’t done anything to the water.
Without a hydrologist or someone to survey the land, it may be difficult to find out what's causing Farage's problem.
