ADA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Ada Township leaders say they have reached a settlement with the Kent County Drain Commissioner’s Office after filing a lawsuit over a stormwater dumping proposal.
The county’s plan involves redirecting runoff from the Knapp’s Corner area — located at Knapp Street NE and E. Beltline Avenue NE — into the Cook Drain and the Grand River in Ada Township, according to a release from the township.
Ada Township filed the lawsuit in 2024, alleging that the drain commissioner’s office didn’t “properly notify the township or its residents” of the proposal.
Under the settlement, the office must hold a public meeting to discuss the plan with Ada Township residents, according to the release. That meeting is scheduled for May 29 at 1 p.m., though a location has not been set as of Monday. A request for a meeting after working hours was not granted, township leaders said.
“Ada Township’s priority is transparency and ensuring that residents are fully informed, as well as making sure that the long-term impacts of this new plan are appropriately reviewed and considered,” Julius Suchy, Ada Township manager, said in a statement.
Township Supervisor Tom Korth said leaders are concerned about how the plan could impact home water quality, property values and the Grand River. Currently, stormwater is being transported in trucks and dumped directly into the river, according to the township.
In a project summary shared with the township in summer 2024 and included in the township’s July 8 meeting packet, Kent County Drain Commissioner Ken Yonker wrote that the Cook Drain has enough capacity to handle the additional flow, and the flow and salt concentration increases for the Grand River would be “negligible.”
“We anticipate no negative impacts by discharging the Knapp’s Corner Drain stormwater runoff into either the Cook Drain or Grand River,” Yonker wrote.
News 8 reached out to the Kent County Drain Commissioner’s Office early Monday morning seeking a statement.
