Mayor, city leaders highlight Private Sewer Repair Program for Detroiters impacted by 2021 flooding disaster

• More than $95 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will support long-term recovery after heavy rains and flooding ravaged parts of Detroit.
• $43 million will be used to help up to 1,500 households with private sewer repairs.
• Residents must live in one of the designated 22 hardest hit areas. City staff provide application support.

The City of Detroit announced today the first home to benefit from the Private Sewer Repair Program, which provides repairs and upgrades to homes hardest hit by the June 2021 flooding disaster. These repairs will help reduce the risk of basement flooding, as severe weather events are becoming increasingly more frequent. The City began taking applications in January following community meetings and is continuing to accept new sign-ups.

The program is a partnership between the city's Housing and Revitalization Department, along with the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD). The city is funding the $43 million program with a portion of the $95 million in disaster recovery funds it received from the US Department of Housing & Urban Development because of storm-related flooding three years ago. Additionally, $9 million will be designated for sewer lateral reconnections in alleys that have been identified by DWSD, which will be brought to City Council for approval.

The program is expected to help up to 1,500 eligible Detroit households with repairs to damaged portions of sewer lines that fall within their private property line. If these lines are collapsed or damaged, they can result in basement backups, even on dry days, exacerbated further during rain events.

The City of Detroit and its community partners are providing resources to help residents see if they qualify and apply. Interested residents can fill out a prescreen form here.

Residents can also call the Detroit Housing Network at (866) 313-2520, or visit this site for more information.

Mayor Duggan, Chief of Home Repair & Neighborhood Services Rico Razo, DWSD Director Gary Brown, Council President Sheffield and council members met with Ms. Cecily Warren at her home in the Morningside neighborhood. Ms. Warren's home was one of the first to have repairs completed. After an inspection of her home, crews determined a backflow water valve and cleanout was needed. An excavation was performed, and the flood mitigation upgrades were completed and approved by the city.

Pictured from left to right: resident Raymond Warren, Councilmember Latisha Johnson, Mayor Mike Duggan, resident Cecily Warren, Councilmember Fred Durhal III, Councilmember Mary Waters, and Council President Mary Sheffield.

Mayor Duggan said the Private Sewer Repair program is just another example of how the city is using federal funds to improve the lives of Detroiters and give them peace of mind.

"Thank you to HUD and the Biden-Harris Administration for their continued commitment to and investment in the City of Detroit," said Mayor Mike Duggan. "Strengthening the infrastructure of our neighborhoods couldn't be more important as we continue to face the effects of climate change."

"The Private Sewer Repair Program is a significant step forward in our commitment to Detroit's residents," said Council President Mary Sheffield. "This program not only repairs aging infrastructure, but it also addresses long overdue safety and health concerns which, in turn, restores peace of mind to some of Detroit's most vulnerable homeowners. The Private Sewer Repair Program is a testament to our dedication to safeguarding Detroit's housing stock against future flooding and preserving the well-being of our community."

Historic flooding

On June 25-26, 2021, Detroit experienced a major storm resulting in more than 6 inches of rain in a 12-hour period, which exceeded the design capacity of the public sewer system. An estimated 30,000 households were directly impacted, majority of those located in City Council Districts 4, 6 and 7. The storm led to flooding on streets and freeways, as well as in residential and commercial basements, triggering a disaster declaration for four counties, including Wayne County. Weeks after the flooding, Mayor Duggan and Governor Gretchen Whitmer secured a national disaster declaration by President Joe Biden, activating FEMA and other government resources which resulted in the HUD CDBG-DR allocation.

"With the launch of the Private Sewer Repair Program, we are taking a critical step towards safeguarding our communities from the devastating impacts of future flooding," said Rico Razo, Chief of Home Repair & Neighborhood Services at the city. "By investing in necessary repairs and upgrades, we not only restore homes but also strengthen our resilience against increasingly severe weather. This initiative exemplifies our commitment to improving the quality of life for Detroiters and ensuring their homes remain safe and secure."

Districts 4,6, and 7 experienced the highest concentration of basement backups in June 2021. The average height of water reported in FEMA claims was 10 inches. Seventy percent of claims made to FEMA were related to water in basements.

"While we continue to make the major flood resiliency improvements on our sewer system, this program is designed to harden basements from future rain events," said DWSD Director Gary Brown. "We learned from other cities when we created our Basement Backup Protection Program in February 2022. As its winding down after completing backwater valve installations at more than 700 homes, we are transferring what we learned in our local program to PSRP. The best step we can take is to repair or replace the private sewer lateral service line to make sure it functions for the home on both dry and wet days, as well as install a backwater valve to reduce backups during storms."

Types of repairs offered

The city is working with five contracted companies to complete the repairs. DWSD will oversee that work, which includes:

• Clean and Inspect sewer lateral service line with a camera scope.
• Disconnect downspouts and install extensions at least three 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.

Eligibility requirements

All applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Households applying must be at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) as determined annually by HUD.
• Applicants must live in a single‐family residential home.
• Households must be able to demonstrate impact from the June 25‐26, 2021, flood event.
• The property must be in one of the following 22 neighborhoods in the designated most impacted City Council districts:
  • 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 Ave Community, Barton‐McFarland
• The property cannot be in a floodplain.

"This Private Sewer Repair Program is a crucial step in ensuring that Detroit families can recover from the devastating 2021 flooding," said Councilmember Fred Durhal. "By providing necessary repairs, we are reinforcing our commitment to protecting our residents and strengthening our infrastructure to become a more resilient city for the future."

About Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery Grant

The Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grant is designed to provide funding to communities affected by major disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods. The purpose of the program is to help communities recover and rebuild by providing financial assistance for a variety of projects such as housing rehabilitation, infrastructure improvements, and economic development.

"The damage from the 2021 flood was devastating to many families in Southeast Michigan," said Keith Hernández, Director, Office of Community Planning and Development at the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. "HUD welcomes this opportunity to partner with the City of Detroit on a badly needed infrastructure project. We are happy to help bring relief to the citizens of Detroit and look forward to these households enjoying an improved quality of life."

Creating capacity in the sewer system to handle rain events

DWSD has been cleaning more than 500 miles of the local sewer collection piping per year on a five-year rotation, as well as crews are on track to clean and inspect 8,000 street and alley catch basins this year to alleviate future flooding. In addition to the existing 19 green stormwater infrastructure projects, DWSD is investing more than $100M in local, regional, state and federal funding on flood mitigation including two massive detention basins in Far West Detroit and is embarking on an eastside flood resiliency study funded by grants.

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