GRAND LEDGE, Mich. — Weekend rain has left lasting impacts in Eaton County, South Shaytown Road in Kalamo Township had a portion of the road washed out and wastewater plants in Dimondale and Grand Ledge discharged sewage.
- Water flow washed out a portion of South Shaytown Road, forcing an ongoing road closure.
- A local family discovered the hazard, and their social media post about the damage quickly gained national attention.
- Heavy rain flooded local pumps, causing thousands of gallons of diluted wastewater to discharge into the Grand River.
"Me and my dad were the first ones to see it," Weston Owens said.
Weston Owens and his father were on a normal trip to get feed for their farm animals when they discovered the hazard.
WATCH: Heavy rain causes massive road washout and wastewater discharge in Eaton County
"And so we were crossing, it was perfectly fine we got the feed and came back and half of the road was just sunk in," Weston Owens said.
Joy Owens warned neighbors on Facebook while road crews made their way out to block the road. The post received nearly 2,000 reactions and spread across the country.
"I thought it was pretty crazy considering just the sheer size of it, it was kinda cool to see because there was just a big whirlpool swirling around it from a hole in the culvert," Joy Owens said.
"It’s been just fun seeing all the reactions, but then a whole lot of people, even from Texas, are demanding to know the location," Joy Owens said.
The road remains closed while the road commission assesses the damage and works on a timeline for repairs.
"It’s going to take quite an effort, we actually don't have the equipment to do something that deep so if we do it with our own crews we’ll have to rent equipment or we’ll have to hire a contractor," Mathew Hannahs said.
Hannahs, the engineer manager for the road commission, noted the urgency of the repairs.
"You never really know how quickly you can get some of this material, but sooner rather than later, that one will be a priority," Hannahs said.
The storm also impacted local waterways. Wastewater treatment plants in Dimondale and Grand Ledge both reported discharge. Dimondale Village President Ralph Reznick said about 12,000 to 15,000 gallons of diluted wastewater went into the Grand River due to heavy rainwater flooding pumps.
"This is highly irregular, and we really really hesitated to do this, we’re not expecting this to happen again," Reznick said.
The Owens family hopes to see the road fixed soon but has enjoyed the spectacle the washed-out road made on social media.
"There’s only like three houses on the road, and so, it’s slightly inconvenient using one of the other roads, but no big deal," Weston Owens said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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