DETROIT (WWJ) – It may not feel like it, but spring is just around the corner, and the city of Detroit has come up with a plan to deal with rain, water and flooded basements.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Water and Sewerage Department Director Gary Brown on Monday rolled out the Basement Backup Protection Program, an initiative that will provide up to $15 million to assist homeowners in keeping their homes dry.
Brought on by last summer’s numerous heavy rainstorms and flooding issues, the program will aim to protect Detroiters’ property during rainstorms by installing a backwater valve and/or sump pump.
The city identified 11 neighborhoods across the city that are the most flood-prone. The project will begin this spring in the Aviation Sub and Victoria Park neighborhoods, before expanding to nine other areas in the summer.
The other neighborhoods set to receive help include Barton-McFarland, Chadsey Condon, Cornerstone Village, East English Village, Garden View, Jefferson Chalmers, Morningside, Moross-Morang and Warrendale, according to Duggan.
The program will be funded by federal American Rescue Plan dollars, with the city saying they’re prepared to spend up to $6,000 per home, as needed.
Duggan says it was important to act now after seeing the damage brought on by last summer’s storms, which had many city residents cleaning up their basements on multiple occasions.
“In 2014, we got a once-in-100-years storm,” Duggan said Monday. “Eight years later, we got a much bigger storm and we just think, with climate change, we have to look at this differently. We can sit around and say, ‘it was a fluke, it will be another 100 years,’ but I don’t have any confidence that’s the case.”
He said after the summer mess, he and other city officials identified the low-lying areas and decided to help those residents, rather than “(tearing) the city apart and put down much bigger pipes – which could take decades.”
Residents can apply for the program on the city’s website.
The “menu of customized services” available to homeowners through the new program include:
-- Camera inspection of sewer lateral service line
-- Disconnect downspouts and install extensions three feet from foundation
-- Install backwater valve only if sewer lateral is in viable condition
-- Install sump pump on properties where possible
-- Install backwater valve and sump pump with overflow
More information on the Basement Backup Protection Program is available online.
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