MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. -- A million dollar drain project in Muskegon County is frustrating homeowners who say they're being forced to foot the bill for something they don't need. Some property owners are being told to pay about $13,000 by the drain commissioner.
Jody Nummerdor said, "If it was something I needed and something that was gonna help benefit us... yea, absolutely."
But the Fruitport Township homeowner and his neighbors said the $1.08 million project to divert groundwater from their homes to Kuis Drain is a waste of their hard-earned money.
"I don't get water in my basement. I more than welcomed them to my home to take a look at it. They can bring their inspector. I'll have my builder there and prove that we don't have that issue," Nummerdor explained.
He said he spent extra money to build his property higher up, thus avoiding problems with groundwater. Yet, he's one of 83 property owners in Fruitport and Sullivan Townships being told by the drain commissioner to pay for pipe installation to his property to strategically divert groundwater to the drain.
Nummerdor and his neighbors Dale Martin and David Cherney are all being told to pay about $13,000 each over 20 years.
Cherney said, "We're all the ones paying the big bucks. The guys that live directly across from us are only paying like $600, $648. You have the system. You share the same system that's in the road right now. There's a big cost differential there."
Martin said, "There's people that are paying less than a thousand dollars that have major water issues in their basements every single spring."
Brenda Moore, the Muskegon County Drain Commissioner told FOX 17, "We hear, 'I don't have any water problems and I don't the benefit,' but their water is coming from somewhere."
She added, "They're in the watershed. If they're shedding their water, it's going to somebody else. So it's kind of managing it at the watershed level and managing the project holistically."
"I honestly feel like some of the people have blinders on, and they're really not seeing the big picture. But I understand because it's expensive," Moore explained.
She said those who are paying significantly less are only paying for basic maintenance of the drain, while those with higher bills are also paying for the pipe installation to discharge the groundwater. She said the engineering study backs up the need but said she's willing to take a second look.
"We are going out because some people had some good points, and that's what the whole idea of Day of Review is, is people come and bring us information we might not otherwise know. And we'll go out and have another look. I mean this isn't a final roll. The engineer and I will go out and look," she explained.
