Residents on Detroit's east side worried about rocky future of Jefferson-Chalmers Canals
Residents worried about future of Jefferson-Chalmers Canals
The city has received $20 million in federal funding to try to bring this neighborhood out of floodplain status, which could help with future investments. But residents fear that to stop the flooding, the city would need to dam up the canals.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Signs are popping up all over the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood as residents speak out against potential closures of the city's canals. The city has received a $20 million grant to prevent flooding in the area.
Big picture view:
There are tons of signs throughout the neighborhood calling for ‘no canal closures,’ and the big fear is that the city could close these canals, which residents are very passionate about.
The city has received $20 million in federal funding to try to bring the neighborhood out of floodplain status, which could help with future investments. But residents fear that to stop the flooding, the city would need to dam up the canals.
That's something they do not want. They believe it would make more sense to repair the seawalls. However, this is still early in the process, and no decisions have been made yet.
Here's what residents are saying:
"There is this effort to close the canals, so that was proposed — to dam off the canals in response to water levels being high sometimes. When I hear things like that, it just makes me feel kind of alienated because I'm like, do those people know what's going on here? Do they think this is just an empty canal, that no one's using it and no one's living here?" said Detroit River Sports tour guide Bradley Weiss. "I mean, we're surrounded by life, by people that live on the water because they love it. Our business is out here. We're extremely busy all throughout the summer, taking people out and showing them how cool this is. So that's just something that concerns me a little bit."
"We're going to look at all the options, and one option could be closing canals, but it has to be a factual option we can bring back to the community so they can understand everything behind it and how it affects them too," said Detroit Building Authority Director Tyrone Clifton.
What's next:
The city is hiring a consultant who will start on June 22. They are going to meet with residents and determine the best options.
A solution is still likely years down the line.