Detroit launches $184M alley sewer repair program to fix 9,000 residential sewer connections

A private sewer connection can cost a Detroit homeowner more than $10,000 to repair.

Now, the city is using $184 million in federal funding to fix about 9,000 of those connections over the next four years at no cost to eligible homeowners.

"That often costs about $10,000 for homeowners to try to take on, which is very, very costly, and a lot of people cannot afford that, and that is why this investment in this announcement today is critically important," said Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield.

City leaders say almost one in three private connections is clogged, offset or disconnected from the public sewer system.

Those failures can lead to basement backups, sinkholes and alley cave-ins.

For residents like Edith Ford, the program could eliminate a costly repair that many families simply cannot afford.

"We want that $20,000 work done on our houses for free, and this will help you keep your house in your family and keep the value up in your house, just like my family has done," said Ford.

The program targets the point where a homeowner's private line connects to the city's main sewer.

Because the money comes from HUD, the city says work will be limited to eligible low- to moderate-income neighborhoods across all nine council districts.

"We're going to knock on every door. We're going to be going to block club meetings, and we're going to be explaining the process very close to when we're going to be starting the work in that particular neighborhood," said Gary Brown, director of Detroit Water and Sewerage Department.

The first contracts are now before the Detroit City Council.

If approved, work is expected to start later this summer.