Detroit unveils federally funded private sewer repair program in wake of flooding

Detroit officials unveiled a program on Thursday to replace private sewer lines for homeowners in neighborhoods hit hard by the June 2021 flooding.

Disaster recovery funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development are paying for the program, which is expected to aid 1,500 households in 22 areas. The city is using $43 million from the $95 million of federal money for repairs. Mayor Mike Duggan's administration also expects to ask City Council to approve $9 million for sewer lateral reconnections in alleys identified by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department.

Duggan, alongside Council President Mary Sheffield and Councilmembers Latisha Johnson, Fred Durhal III and Mary Waters, unveiled the project in Morningside in front of Cecily Warren's home, a longtime resident, who benefited from the program.

"We would not have been able to afford this," Warren told the Free Press. "Every time it rains, of course, we're fearful that the water might get backed up into the basement again. We haven't recovered from the 2021 (flood). We're still doing replacements. I've got paneling that's warped. I've got doors that's warped in my basement ... this would have cost me thousands of dollars, so I do appreciate this program."

Warren had to do mold remediation, replace several appliances, repaint her basement and fix a leaking roof.

"It was scary," Warren said, who lived in her home for more than 20 years.

Mitigating health worries

Her neighbor Keith Lambert recalled homes on his block, including his own, flooding with several feet of water in June 2021.

"All the neighbors, we all kind of got together and pulled together and helped to make sure everybody was OK, getting everything hauled out everybody's basements, and then making sure that we knew how to contact the right resources," Lambert said.

Repairs on his street began earlier this year and as soon as he heard about it, he rushed to notify his neighbors to take advantage of it. Lambert lives with his wife and two kids, who are off to college, but wanted to protect them from any potential health concerns.

"For us, just having the kids in and not having them exposed to the lead pipes was probably the biggest benefit, not to mention, everybody was fearful that we're facing something like Flint did. So it was nice to have them come out and just get rid of the lines," Lambert said. "We can stay, be comfortable that the water coming in our house is going to be clean. It's not going to have lead in it, and we don't have to worry so much about any picking up any waterborne illnesses."

"We have a lot of residents who have sewage back up in the basement, even when it's a small rainstorm, and the reason is that the sewer line going from their house to their backyard is cracked," Duggan said. "If the sewage doesn't get through your backyard, you're in trouble. And in the low-lying areas of the city where the water runs, we know we've got 22 areas of the city that are prone to these backups, and we have folks who are not high-income people who don't have the resources to spend several thousands of dollars to fix that lateral sewer line."

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Johnson called it a "full-circle moment," pointing to the summer she ran for office and stepped aside from campaigning to help neighbors clean their basements. The District 4 councilwoman said the neighborhoods she represented were "horribly devastated" in 2021 and that their infrastructure is aged.

"Easily, 70 to 75% of our residents had a backup," Johnson said. "We're here today because residents in District 4 have dealt with this on numerous occasions."

Crews are using a camera scope to identify any issues within the lines. In doing so, the city found that 40% of the lines had a severed line or were not connected to the city system, said Gary Brown, director of Detroit's water and sewerage department.

"The sewage was going into a void in the ground, and the customers didn't really have the dollars available to make that repair. So we adapted, and we changed the program to be able to do the lateral sewer line replacement or repair," Brown said. "We bring a building inspector in to determine what work needs to be done. We negotiate the price and the services to be done, and then we inspect it to make sure it's done right, and we make sure that they get a warranty in case something goes wrong."

Types of repairs

• Cleaning and inspecting sewer lateral service lines with a camera scope.
• Disconnecting downspouts and installing extensions at least 3 feet from foundation.
• Repair or replace private lateral sewer and install cleanout.
• Install sump pump on properties where diversion is possible.
• Install backwater valve and sump pump with sump pump overflow.

Who can apply?

Residents must meet certain qualifications. Households much be at or below 80% of the area median income, live in a single-family residential home, show proof of the June 2021 flood impact on their home and live in the following City Council district neighborhoods:

District 4: Cornerstone Village, Morningside, Chandler Park, Fox Creek, Riverbend, West End.

District 6: Midwest, Chadsey-Condon, Claytown, North Corktown, Michigan-Martin.

District 7: Aviation Sub, Gardenview, Plymouth-I96, Plymouth-Hubbell, Paveway, We Care Community, Fiskhorn, Joy Schaefer, Warrendale, Warren Avenue Community and Barton-McFarland.

Properties in a floodplain, such as Jefferson Chalmers, which was hit hard during the June 2021 rainstorm, do not qualify.

"Jefferson Chalmers' risk is not sewage backup. Jefferson Chalmers' risk is the river overflowing when the Great Lakes water levels rise, and so FEMA has placed it in a floodplain," Duggan said. "The 22 areas of the city that we're talking about are low-lying areas where they're at risk of basement backup every rainstorm, and certainly the major rainstorms, we've seen it, but a smaller rainstorms we haven't. So we went where the money could be used on federal eligibility basis."

Interested homeowners can apply by calling 866-313-2520 or emailing PSRP@detroitmi.gov.

Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her: @DanaAfana .

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit unveils federally funded private sewer repair program in wake of flooding