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Neighbors worry about water issues at Chesterfield Twp. construction site

Posted at 9:16 PM, Jun 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-19 21:16:51-04

A high water table underneath a portion of a Chesterfield Township subdivision is factoring in to neighborhood concerns over a construction site.

Amanda Hawkins moved into the Wellington Place subdivision a year ago.  By that time, one developer had come, broke ground on an adjacent property, discovered the high water, filled in the foundation hole, and left without building further.

"(They said) 'but don't worry because these two lots are not going to be built on because of that issue. We tried to build and it wasn't buildable,'" said Hawkins.

Since that time the site was sold to Landmark Building Company. The development business is in the process of building a home on the same lot where the previous developer, Lombardo homes, attempted.

"Last week they dug the hole and it started filling with water," said Hawkins.

Hawkins says she and other neighbors are worried that the site is unfit for a home and will lead any future neighbor to water problems with their basement.

Landmark business partner John Castellana says the soil is not only home-build ready, but the build will address water concerns.

"We did our due diligence we ran test holes we did what we had to do before we purchased the property," said Castellana, who told 7 Action News that an engineer has assessed the site. "Testing the soil to make sure that the soil conditions can accommodate for the home and that flied with flying colors."

Castellana says building strategy will have the high water table of the area in mind.

"I've built houses with 6 feet of water. You get the water out, you put the basement in, the sump pumps do their job. There’s multiple different ways you could do this, by different steps from pumping to different footings to extra depth," said Castellana.

The basement will be raised 16 inches and two sump pumps with a backup contingency will also be implemented according to Castellana.

A check with Chesterfield Township and Macomb County did not show any permit issues at the site.