DETROIT (WWJ) -- A new report on the historic widespread flooding in Detroit and Grosse Pointe back in June shows flooding would have still been bad, even if pump stations on the city's east side had been functioning properly.
The Great Lakes Water Authority hired two independent engineering firms -- Wade Trim and Brown and Caldwell -- to conduct studies at the Conner Creek and Freud Pumping Stations, following the torrential storms on June 25 and 26 that left many of the area's basements underwater.
Ed Hogan, with Wade Trim, said during a Zoom meeting Wednesday that preliminary findings show that both stations were properly staffed during the storms, and both did experience power issues -- but even if everything had been operating as normal, the area still would have experienced significant flooding.
Hogan said his firm ran computer projections of the system -- which is designed to take on between 1.7 and 1.8 inches of rain per hour, and experienced six inches of rain in a matter of three hours -- and concluded that even if the stations been operating at full power, the flooding would still have happened, though it would not have been quite as deep or lasted as long.
"It's going to try to get into the lowest elevation it can get into and it's just a reflection of the intensity of this particular event," Hogan said.
Hogan noted the computer simulation showed "the geographical extent of basement flooding was very similar to what would have occurred under more ideal circumstances," but said it likely wouldn't have been as deep.
The information presented during Wednesday's meeting is still considered preliminary, and a full report is expected to be submitted to the GLWA.
The storms in June were among the many that have brought flooding and power outages to the metro Detroit area throughout the summer. Some Detroiters are still cleaning up after the mess, and have been given a deadline of Friday, Sept. 3 to bring all flood debris to the curbs.
