The city of Detroit plans to fix thousands of old and clogged sewer lines for free to help reduce sewage backups in homes and prevent alleys from caving in.
The $184 million program announced Thursday will repair 9,000 residential sewer connections – the area where the line from a home meets the city’s sewer in the alley. The effort is funded by a portion of the $346 million in federal grant the city received last year to recover from major flooding in August 2023 that hit metro Detroit. City officials said the program will help residents avoid expensive and difficult repairs that can cost $10,000 for homeowners to fix on their own.
“This will remove a significant financial burden while also protecting families from future sewer backups and property damage,” Mayor Mary Sheffield said at a news conference at the Coleman A. Young Community Center. “By repairing these critical connections, we are strengthening our neighborhood infrastructure, we are reducing basement backups, we are improving public health, and we are protecting housing quality and giving thousands of Detroit homeowners greater confidence that the place that they call home is safe and resilient.”
Pending approval of contracts from Detroit City Council, the work is slated to begin in October and is projected to end in 2030.
Detroit has roughly 1,800 miles of alley sewers and homes are connected through a private sewer line. However, most of Detroit’s housing stock is decades old, meaning those private sewer lines are failing due to deteriorating pipes, tree roots, shifting soil and irregular maintenance, according to the city.
“This program will touch every district in the city,” said DWSD Director Gary Brown. “Rehabilitation of alley sewer and reconnecting private sewers will greatly reduce basement backups that residents experience due to their root clogged or failing sewer lines, which are as old as the housing stock in Detroit — easily, 60 to 90 years old.”
Data from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) shows that one in three private sewer line connections are clogged, offset or have fallen off. This can lead to basement backups. The funding will allow the city to help reduce those backups and alley cave-ins and sink holes at no cost to Detroiters, Brown said.
He acknowledged that the work can be disruptive and asked for patience from residents. During the construction, homeowners’ drinking water won’t be impacted but they may be asked to temporarily stop flushing their toilets or running heavy appliances, according to DWSD.
“The restorations may take a little longer than they want, but there shouldn’t be very much disruption other than a day or two to get into the alley,” Brown said.
Residents don’t have to sign up for the program. DWSD will select locations, and roll them out in phases. Federal funding also requires that low-to-moderate income neighborhoods are prioritized. Residents will be notified via door hangers before construction begins and the water department also plans to hold virtual meetings and attend neighborhood meetings.
Last year, city officials announced similar plans to repair damaged sewer lines in 75 additional neighborhoods, as part of a private sewer program for those affected by major flooding. That program was estimated to reach 1,500 homes in total.
Call DWSD Customer Service at 313-267-8000 or go to www.detroitmi.gov/dwsd.
