Some Middlesex residents blame Army Corps of Engineers for erosion threatening homes
MIDDLESEX, N.J. -- We first told you earlier this week about a number of homes in Middlesex County on the brink of falling into a creek behind them.
Residents and local lawmakers tell CBS New York a federal project is causing erosion but that residents' pleas for help have been ignored.
CBS New York's Christine Sloan reached out to state and federal lawmakers to see what they can do to help these homeowners.
"The whole thing just sank like a sinkhole," Middlesex resident Al Platten said.
At least two homes on Heather Lane in Middlesex Borough are on the verge of becoming part of the Green Brook behind their properties. One of the homes has been condemned since 2022.
Neighbors on the street with a half a dozen houses say they're scared because the land's been sinking since Hurricane Ida.
"Every time it rains, you watch," Middlesex resident Sharon Doll said.
Homeowners say it could be devastating if the two homes collapse.
"Any damage as a result of this house getting condemned or falling or construction, I mean, it's already cracked," Platten said.
The erosion is evidenced by a pipe, which used to be underground, sticking out of the ground.
One neighbor says he's lost 35 feet of land behind his home.
"I want them to fix it," Platten said.
The Army Corps of Engineers built a wall a decade ago, but residents say their problems began when a pump station was added two years ago to reduce flooding in nearby Bound Brook.
"The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible," Platten said.
Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman has spoken to the Army Corps of Engineers and disputes that.
"This has not been impacted by the pumping stations or the work that the Army Corps of Engineers has done," Watson Coleman said. "The houses were built before there was a requirement that they could only be 150 feet close to a creek. They were within 25 feet."
But Watson Coleman calls this serious, saying she'll get urgent help and talk to the governor to see if the state can fund a new project to fix the problem.
"The Army Corps of Engineers would come in and assess it, and then there would be a determination as to what it costs and should it be done," Watson Coleman said.
New Jersey State Sen. Jon Bramnick is unwilling let the Army Corps of Engineers off the hook.
"We can get the funds, but this is an engineering ongoing situation that was created and caused, allegedly, by the Army Corps of Engineers," he said.
The Army Corps of Engineers has not returned our call.
Middlesex's mayor wants a retaining wall along the homes.
The congresswoman, meanwhile, says money for the original wall can't be used for a new project. She wants homeowners to call her district for any new funding.
