Utility repairs continue in Detroit neighborhood flooded after water main break
It has been a busy few days for the repairs and restoration of utility service in a Detroit neighborhood that was flooded during a water main break.
The Great Lakes Water Authority reported Wednesday the following details:
- Repairs are complete on the 54-inch water main that broke and a 6-inch water main that was damaged as a result, with testing and related steps to take place.
- DTE Energy is scheduled to repair the gas main the week of March 10.
- Sewer cleaning to remove debris created by the flooded waters is complete.
"There still might be some work that needs to be done on the inside of the home, but all of the lines that feed the neighborhood are active with water," said Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) Director Gary Brown.
Crews have completed repairing or replacing more than 40 furnaces or hot water tanks, with another 30 set to be completed by the end of the weekend.
Brown said there are still more than 150 people living in a hotel while repairs are made.
"We're trying to get people out of the hotel," Brown said. "If we can get the electricity repaired in the home, we can get heat and hot water, then the rest of the punch list, the smaller things, can be done while people are in their homes.
"They're tired of being at the hotel. They have their pets. They want to get back in their homes. We want to get them back in there as quickly as possible."
The break happened in the early morning hours of Feb. 17 at Beard and Rowan in Southwest Detroit, sending water into nearby streets and into some basements. It was the most damaging incident amid a rash of water main breaks during recent weeks in Southeast Michigan.
Neighborhood residents who were affected by the water main break can get emergency resource information through the City of Detroit at 313-774-5261.
