During the Crookston City Council meeting on December 20, residents who own homes on Houston Avenue along the Red Lake River gave a presentation expressing their concerns with the current state of their properties because of the river eroding their property.
There are eight homes on the riverbank between Ash Street and Hunter Avenue, where the riverbank erosion has escalated over the last two years, with several homeowners losing six to eight feet of property over the past year. One home has lost 30 to 40 feet in the previous two decades, but it lost nearly eight feet alone last year. Residents fear that, at this rate, lots may start disappearing along with the homes. The concerned homeowners have actively been pursuing answers and calling for help from any agencies that may have answers regarding the issue.
Crookston resident and one of the eight affected homeowners, Margaret Harrington-Stephens, gave the presentation to the council. “I grew up in that house on 263 Houston Avenue, and we used to have a walking path and steps down to the river where there used to be an area where you could go fishing,” said Harrington-Stephens. “Since the flood of 1997, when things started changing, the city and Army Corp. tore down various homes to build up the dikes. That’s when it started chipping away, and one year, the entire fishing area was gone.”
The erosion has since climbed up to the Harrington-Stephens property, and she has now had to put caution tape in her yard where there is an immediate drop-off, which causes safety concerns. “Within the last three months, I have noticed more areas of ground disappearing,” said Harrington-Stephens. “The trees are there, and the roots are there because that’s the only thing holding the ground in place. Otherwise, it’s chipping away underneath, and that’s the concern: you can’t see, but you can feel it.”
Harrington-Stephens and other residents asked the council for help to get the benefit of government agencies to conduct a geo-tech survey and ultimately get grant funding for work that needs to be done. “We’ve been getting input from the watershed district, DNR, Polk County Soil and Water, and we know this is going to be a group effort,” said Harrington-Stephens. “This isn’t just city responsibility; this is more like ‘here we have a problem that affects the water quality,’ which is also a concern with the watershed district.”
The Houston Avenue homeowners have developed a committee regarding these issues and have contacted several agencies. Government agencies informed the residents they could not do this alone and needed a local government entity to partner with any agencies that could assist.
“There is certainly some real concern from the residents and the city,” said City Administrator Corky Reynolds. “The city intends to help these residents identify funding sources that could potentially lead to a buy-out. It’s not for sure, but I think with the watershed’s involvement, perhaps the DNR, the city, and the state. It is possible we can help them reach their ultimate goal, which is a buy-out.”
