Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A flood warning continues for the Huron River in Hamburg Township.

Supervisor Pat Hohl tells WHMI there is some serious flooding happening on Ore Lake and in the midst of that on Sunday morning, there was a sewer break in a manhole on the end of Mohican Drive in the Branch Drive area. He said they were able to get the flow stopped within a couple of hours and then began working on the repair, which was completed around 10pm Sunday. Hohl said it was bad enough to have a sewer leak but it being in a flooded area and a couple of feet underwater made the repair very difficult.

The Livingston County Health Department has issued a warning for “no water contact” on both Ore Lake and Little Ore Lake. That remains in effect and testing is continuing. Hohl said they’re forwarding results to the Health Department, which will determine when Ore Lake will be back open for swimming and recreational use.

As for the Huron River, the level was last observed at 7.6-feet and is projected to go down very slowly. Flood stage is 7-feet.

Hohl said water is mostly in yards and crawl spaces at this point and he’s not aware of any homes that that have water infiltrated. He said the river is forecast to continue to drop, although very slowly over the next two weeks.

Hohl noted there is also weed growth in the river again that were scheduled to be cut next week but difficult because of the water level. He said he’s been in contact with their harvesting company and will be meeting with them to determine how they can facilitate the harvesting with the high-water level.

Hohl said typically they’ve been unable to harvest the weeds when the river is in this high of flood stage but he thinks they have some options to investigate and see if they can get the weeds out as they’re restricting and blocking the flow. He noted it’s approximately an 18-inch increase in the water level because of the weeds. Hohl said the weed growth was two weeks ahead of schedule because of the early spring, and combined with the low water level and the warmth experienced, provided an excellent environment for the weeds to grow.

Hohl said updates for residents and others will be made available on the Hamburg Township Public Safety Department Facebook page and the Hamburg Township website. Those links are provided.

Facebook Photo: Cathy Davis.