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Homes may slip into Tombigbee River any day now
Two years ago, Kimberly and Randall Merritt started worrying when they began losing some of their property to the river. At that time, a good portion of their yard to the south of their home broke off and fell into the river. Now the problem has gotten worse, with even more of the bluff breaking off in chunks and plummeting downward. Their neighbors' homes are now in danger as well. When The South Alabamian first addressed the problem in 2004, a road ran in front of their neighbor, Jim Wright's home. Now there is not enough room to safely walk in front of his house.
"Our water lines and telephone lines used to run across the area that is now down there," said Merritt, who, like Wright, built most of his home himself. "We had to have them moved when this started happening." Wright's porch and steps leading to the front door of his home are now bowed and uneven due to the quickly changing landscape. It is now dangerous to walk on the south corner of the Merritts' concrete slab, where they used to pull their vehicles in to park. "We've asked for help from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but they tell us there's nothing that can be done, that this is natural erosion," said Merritt. "We question that because it seems to us that erosion takes place more slowly."
Representatives from the Corps of Engineers visited Peavy's landing approximately two months ago after being contacted by State Representative Nick Williams and U.S. Congressman Jo Bonner. "They basically told us that there was nothing they could do," said Merritt. "Then they gave us an application for us to fill out to get permission to fill in the areas that have collapsed. The problem is there's all these regulations we would have to comply with holding us responsible if something were to happen to a vessel on the river as a result of what we did." The Merritts, Wright and Taylor have their suspicions that the quickly disappearing river bank is being caused by something other than natural erosion. Their homes are located at a sharp bend in the river, an area, according to them that has not been dredged in the 16-18 years they have been there. "It's difficult for them to make the turn here because the water is too shallow on the other side," said Merritt, referring to the tug boats that push barges up and down the Tombigbee. "So, they have to come close to this side and when they do they churn up the water creating huge waves that beat this side of the bank." Taylor agreed. "We were told that the base underneath the top part of the ground is softer sand, that's why it is washing away and causing the top layer of ground to break off and collapse," he said. "But, you can see how the tugboats kick it in high gear when they go to make this turn." Merritt, Wright and Taylor say it would be next to impossible to fill in the collapsed area themselves. "First of all, if we could afford it, we don't have the equipment to take on such a task," said Wright. "Not unless we haul it in by five-gallon buckets," said Merritt. "It would take a long time to fill it in that way. I asked the corps engineers who came here if they could possibly fill it back in with sand and was told it would just wash away again. That just sounds like an excuse to me." Taylor said it really bothers him that similar problems have been addressed in Spanish Fort and Dauphin Island by the corps. "Why is it that the homes in danger of being lost in those areas are more important than ours," he said. He and his wife, who also own a home in Baldwin County, had planned to permanently relocate to their riverside home in a few years when he retires from coaching. "Now I don't know if there'll even be anything to retire to," said Taylor. Patrick Robbins, public relations spokesperson for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said there is actually nothing the Corps can do about the situation because they have no authority to address such problems on privately owned property. "I'm not sure even the state has authority to do anything in a situation like this," he said. Robbins said the other two situations at Spanish Fort and Dauphin Island are totally different. "Those are hurricane related and are FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) projects," he said. "They don't even fall under the same category." He went on to say that despite what the homeowners believe what's happening to the bluff where their homes are located is a natural occurrance. "The center layer of soil is light and sandy and the top layer is heavy," said Robbins. "The lower layer is giving way over time due to rains and washing. The same thing is happening in a wooded area downstream. The tugs they (the homeowners) talked about don't churn high enough to cause the bank to wash out that far up." Washington County officials were also unable to give the homeowners little hope. Monday, Probate Judge and County Commission Chairman John H. Armstrong said, "It is unfortunate that this is happening to these folks, but our hands are tied. By law, the county can't do work to repair private property. I hope, for their sake, that Congressman Bonner can get them some kind of help." Wright said he had checked with a local company on having his home moved back 80 feet. "They said it would cost me around $15,000," he said. "And that was just to move it back. I'd be responsible for putting the poles back underneath it and putting it back together. The mover said it would also crack my windows, so they would have to be replaced, that basically all I would have left would be a shell when it was all said and done." Wright is disabled and would be physically unable to do most of the work himself.
The Merritts said it is difficult to sit and watch as their home and their neighbors' homes are in danger of being washed away with nothing being done to try and stop it. "We just want some help here," he said. "That's all we're asking. Besides, even if we could afford to have it fixed what company is going to want to bring their equipment in here with the danger of it falling in the river."
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