Homeowners in Mount Pleasant fear their homes could fall into Lake Michigan due to erosion at the lakefront.
One home has already been torn down, their neighbor watched 60 ft. of her property disappear.
"All of a sudden it's kind of encroaching on our property," said Linda Koetz. Koetz said they never imagined this would happen when they moved in, but they've watched their lake access disappear.
Three weeks ago Koetz's neighbors tore down their home, since the basement walls began to show off the cliff.
Erosion has been slower for a neighbor, Tim Greco, who's lived in his home for 19 years.
Trees on his property once stood level in the yard, but now they hang by their roots over the cliff.
He said his taxes are most expensive for property on the bluff, then they have to pay for repairs to keep the property from eroding further.
"It's just uninsurable," said Greco. "It comes out of my pocket."
Koetz said their proposed plans will cost about $100,000. But that number could multiply by one hundred for the Village of Mount Pleasant.
Village president Jerry Garski estimated it could be five or ten million dollars, which is why he said they need the state and federal governments to join their efforts. Garski has contacted the Army Corps of Engineers, state representatives, and the Department of Natural Resources.
He calls this situation an "emergency," as homes beyond the lakefront are threatened as well. Village utilities sit just a few feet from danger. If the cliff erodes, Garski said the village would have to shut off utilities to many homes.
"When we shut down the utilities because it ate out the roadway," he explained. "The best way to said it is people will have to leave their homes."
He hopes the process will move quickly. Not only for the village, but for homeowners handling, and paying for, their own projects.
Garski is asking the Department of Natural Resources to get permits quickly, since there's no telling when another piece of land could break off.
Just a day after Mount Pleasant, Wis. Village President Jerry Garski told TODAY'S TMJ4 he considers the erosion on their bluff an "emergency," the Army Corp of Engineers surveyed the area.
Garski said Wednesday the engineers are taking the information they have now and creating a plan to help the village prevent further damage.
MSOE Engineering professor Todd Davis said the damage happens naturally as waves and rain wash over the bluff.
One homeowner said she lost 60 ft. in two years. Davis said a bluff can lose two inches to a couple feet in one year. Still, he said more significant losses have been documented.
But, there are ways to prevent further damage. He said soil can be reinforced, plateaus can be cut into the side of a bluff, and large barricades can keep waves from causing too much damage.
