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Michigan Nonprofit Files Lawsuit Against US Government For Lake Michigan Erosion

New Buffalo Shoreline Alliance filed a takings claim, claiming their 5th amendment rights were violated by the U.S. Government.

"The government authorized the harbor, the Army Corps of Engineers designed it but the if the government takes property from US citizens unjustly the US citizen is able to make a claim against that and that's what we believe happened here," said Ron Watson, New Buffalo Shoreline Alliance Secretary and homeowner.

The New Buffalo Harbor was built in 1975, and members of the shoreline alliance claim the designers of the Harbor knew of the sand starvation it would cause.

"There was an agreement made that the corp would nourish the beaches because they knew there would be a blockage of sand resulting from the construction of the Harbor they did that for a period of time," said Ted Grzywacz, New Buffalo Alliance President and homeowner.

Grzywacz says the funding stopped in 1995 and the people of New Buffalo have seen very little to no support since then.

"We want to have enough damages to be able to pay for sand nourishment and pay for offshore wave attenuation devices," said Watson.

This lawsuit is not for individual homeowners.

"We're not asking for personal compensation homeowners are gonna get no money the money is going to go into a trust and that trust will be used to nurse to beaches in construct wave attenuation devices to keep the nourishment on the beaches," said Grzywacz.

Currently, this is a pending litigation and the U.S. government has asked the Detroit office of the Army Corp of Engineers to answer the complaint.

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