05/22/2026
SUPERVISORS CORNER
I am going to use this edition to illuminate an issue that we are seeing all too frequently as of late, excessive water and/or localized flooding as we have never experienced in the past. Why now you may wonder. To answer that question all you need to do is walk out your door and turn in a circle observing all the property around you. As you do this, catalog in your mind every building, structure, roof, porch, deck, patio, driveway, sidewalk or anything else that has been installed in the last 5 to 10 years that limits the sunlight and rain from hitting the ground and grass. Now understand, I am not an environmentalist that believes we should revert back to the stone age. I am just trying to draw attention to the fact that when we build something it impacts everything around it. When rain cannot soak into the ground during a storm, it has to go somewhere. The rainfall intensity, inches of rain per hour, has not significantly changed in the last 50 years. Their frequency, how often we get those rain falls, has increased as of late. This means we are getting the same rate of rainfall during storms, but they are coming closer together and not letting the water recede or soak in, before the next rainfall comes. This results in more and frequent flooding due to excessive runoff since it cannot soak in and has to go somewhere. It usually only lasts for a few hours after the rains quits, but by then the damage is done. This brings me, in a roundabout way, to my topic. When we build we must pay attention to the runoff that we create by the new construction. According to the building code, which is also a law, all runoff must be contained on the property that is falls on or conveyed by a proper drainage path such as a ditch, stream or other water source. What this means is that if your new construction causes runoff to run to a neighbor’s property at a rate greater than normal, you must take measures to collect and move that water to a proper drainage path. If you have standing water on your property, you cannot just add fill and send that water to a neighbor’s property. You will be required to correct that within your property. So pay attention to water runoff when you plan your projects so they don’t end up costing a lot more in fixes and repairs, and possibly an angry neighbor.
The garden club has commissioned a sculpture by a local artist for the gazebo area. We hope to have it installed by this summer. They are raising funds themselves for this as they want it to be from the community to the community. You can contact them by calling Bev Mason at 989-305-8823 or Hale Garden Club, PO Box 174, Hale, MI 48739.
The Plainfield Township Historical Commission has a program scheduled for September 19th at 2 pm in the Eagle Pointe Plaza, with Phil Naud on the Civilian Conservation Corps(CCC), their camps and work programs in Iosco County and surrounding areas Please mark your calendars for this date. Phil is a known scholar on the CCC and their roles and impacts in northern Michigan.
Consider a membership at the Community Center and Eagle Point Plaza. You can come and enjoy pickleball at any time, yoga, cardio drumming, fitness training, walking or some more intense TOWANDA. Whatever your need we probably have some form of activity to assist you. So stop in and see Roma about a membership. We would love to see you. When you’re here stop in on Tuesdays to the Plainfield Township Historical Museum. They have great displays of our community throughout history and how our members lived long ago. The members do a great job preserving and showcasing our heritage. As always if you ever have any questions, comments or concerns regarding our community please contact me. I am in the office Monday – Friday 7:30 – 4:00 at 989-728-2811 or my cell at 989-984-7073 or by email [email protected].
Fred Lewis – Supervisor Plainfield Township
