Claremore Homeowner Says He's 'Losing Yard' To Erosion

A Claremore man says his yard is disappearing right before his eyes. He says the small creek that runs along his backyard and his neighbors' backyards is eroding their property.

Dwayne Caldwell lives on North Faulkner Drive, in the northeast part of the city, along a creek branching off of Dog Creek.

The creek is one of the reasons Caldwell and his wife bought their house six years ago; but gradually, he discovered it's swallowing more and more of his land.

Caldwell says he's lost several feet of property in just the last few years, and his neighbors on the other side of the creek have it even worse.

"He's going to lose his yard," Caldwell says, pointing across the creek. "I'm going to lose my yard, and everybody else's."

The late December flooding turned Caldwell's yard into an outdoor pool, eating up even more of his land. That's why the City of Claremore is offering help.

Jeremy Ledbetter, Director of Public Infrastructure for the City of Claremore, says homeowners are normally required to maintain their own property - creeks and all - under City Ordinance 55.07.

But, this year, the city set aside money for a storm water maintenance crew, saying the creeks are becoming too much work for property owners.

Some neighbors say they're not worried, and are trying to block the erosion themselves; but Caldwell says if the city doesn't step in, they'll all be in too deep.

"I've done everything I can do to stop it, the neighbors have done everything," he says, "and it's still eroding."

The city says it's focusing on the Cat Creek drainage system first because it affects a large portion of the city.

It is, however, taking requests to survey and work on other creek-adjacent properties.