Detroit Water and Sewerage Department starts clearing out storm drains

DWSD hopes to prevent basements from flooding

DETROIT – The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is kicking off a critical effort that will have homeowners in the city celebrating.

DWSD officials are starting to clear out storm drains to prevent basements and streets from flooding when heavy rains come.

"We clean them, inspect them, take data as to how much sediment is in them," DWSD team leader Kenneth Miller said.

The project is a major undertaking for the city to prevent flooding in streets and basements after rainstorms.

"Quality of life is important," Miller said. "People don't want huge puddles of water in front of their homes."

Since the program launched, DWSD has made a lot of headway toward preventing floods.

"We have cleaned out more than 11,000 catch basin structures themselves," Miller said. "The number of lines we have had to unclog has been in the dozens."

Before the program, the drains hadn't been inspected or maintained since 2010.

"Over time things slowed down and we got away from it," Miller said. "Now we're back at it and we're definitely seeing the benefits of it."

Crews work daily on the drains, but there are still many to go.

"It's going to take some time to clean each and every one of the 90-something-thousand catch basins," Miller said. "But over time, we anticipate touching them all."

Catch basins carry stormwater off city streets and nearby properties into the city's sewer system. Of the city's 95,000 basins, customer complaint data showed more than 75 percent were covered by debris or have a blockage.

The city's program costs $3.9 million to receive new trucks and expand the effort to clear the basins.

Residents can expected to see crews on Detroit streets working on the project for years to come.


About the Authors:

Koco joined the Local 4 News team in September of 2016. She was born and raised in Metro Detroit, attended Central Michigan University, and previously worked at WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids.

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.