(WWJ) -- Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller is calling for an investigation into a failure at Detroit's Conner Creek Pump Station.
Miller is questioning if the station was properly staffed and prepared prior to last weekend's heavy rainfall.
“The rain was coming – we all knew it was coming,” Miller said. “It appears there was a management failure at the Conner Creek Pump Station. They needed to have it properly manned. They needed to have a backup plan, like a generator if the electricity went out.”
When the station lost power during the storm Saturday, backup generators never kicked on, and gates outside the facility wouldn't open.
Employees reportedly didn't make any attempts to break down the gates and turn on generators.
Extensive flooding then ensued in areas of Detroit and the Grosse Pointe communities along the Jefferson Avenue corridor.
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Miller suggests that the investigation should be carried out by an independent firm or team with no ties to the Great Lakes Water Authority — which operates the Conner Creek Pump Station — to ensure a fair outcome.
“The public needs to have confidence that the investigation will be conducted with the utmost transparency,” Miller said. “Those who are dealing now with the cleanup of flooded basements, and all ratepayers, deserve that.”
The shutdown of the facility had a severe impact on the wastewater system, which led to homes flooding in multiple metro Detroit cities.