At least 135 homeowners experienced basement flooding after heavy storms over the weekend and with more storms predicted for tonight things could get worse.

In a city press release, Dearborn says “the City’s initial analysis of the storm events show that the City’s sewers worked properly. The review is continuing.”

The city press release continues stating this:

“Following about 3 inches of rain from 8 p.m. Saturday to 2:30 a.m. Sunday, about 80 homes flooded in southeast Dearborn and another 50 in northeast Dearborn (as reported by Monday morning).

“Additionally, five homes on Nowlin in west Dearborn experienced basement flooding. Although no blockage was initially found, crews were videotaping sewers in that area on Monday as part of the further review.

“Other reports were coming in from homeowners around the City on Monday afternoon.

“As of 4 p.m. Monday, it does not appear as if the City’s sewers failed or were blocked in any areas of Dearborn.

“Affected residents should contact their homeowner’s or renter’s insurance companies to determine whether they have coverage for basement flooding claims.

“If residents with flooded basements believe that the City of Dearborn’s sewers were defective, then under state law, they have 45 days from the event to file a claim with the city’s Legal Department.

“No claim may be made after 45 days. Call the Legal Department at 313-943-2035.

You can read the entire release from the city of Dearborn by clicking the link below.

Events in southeast Dearborn

It appears as if the basement floods in southeast Dearborn in the area of Akron, Holly, Salina and Dix are related to the City of Detroit’s sewer system.

A similar event happened in 2007 when a City of Detroit facility known as Baby Creek suffered equipment malfunctions that caused flooding in Dearborn and Detroit.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment ordered the City of Detroit to correct problems with the Baby Creek facility following that 2007 event.

Since late Saturday, the City of Dearborn has been pursuing information from the City of Detroit and the state to determine the cause of the weekend basement flooding in the southeast section of Dearborn.

Here is what is known:

At about 11:40 p.m. on Saturday, there was a high water alarm at the Miller Road pumping station. The City of Dearborn’s sewers appeared to be working because the trunk lines were flowing; however, water was surcharged, or coming over the top of the pipe, due to the heavy volume of rain.

Dearborn contacted the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department at about midnight, and although no immediate response was given, the water levels in Dearborn’s sewers begin to fall about 2-3 hours later on early Sunday morning.

Events in northeast Dearborn

Also on Saturday at about 11:40 p.m., the City began getting calls from homeowners in northeast Dearborn in the area of Hemlock, Reuter, Williamson, Horger, Yinger, Barrie, Jonathan, Prospect, Lanson and Calhoun.

There was a surcharging of city trunk sewers in that area but no apparent blockages. As of Monday afternoon, it is thought that the storm size exceeded the carrying capacity of the city’s trunk sewers, but that there is no defect or failure.

General information on basement flooding

Often after heavy storms, basements flood because of a blockage or problem with the homeowners’ sewer lead line, which is the pipe from the city’s sewer trunk line into a home.

Homeowners own the sewer lead and are responsible for keeping that lead line clear. The City does not have legal authority or obligation to repair a private sewer lead.

Helpful information about the steps to take following a basement flood can be found at www.cityofdearborn.org. There is also information about preventing basement floods.

Other Dearborn areas affected by the storms

Following the weekend storms, flooding also occurred in the area of the ravine near Willoway in west Dearborn. The site is in an area undergoing road and sewer construction.

A resident from a nearby street was rescued by the Dearborn Fire Department after sinking into wet sand as he was walking on a temporary sidewalk along the ravine to check out the flood levels on Sunday morning.

The resident’s right leg became stuck in the sand near the ravine. He has experienced soreness related to the rescue, but no other injuries from the accident.

The ravine was drained on Sunday after a sand blockage was cleared by the construction contractor.

Also early on Sunday, the DPW sewerage facility flooded with about 6-8 inches of water, affecting several dogs and cats from the Dearborn Animal Shelter, which had been housed there while the animal shelter undergoes renovations.

The animals were safely rescued and moved to another location early Sunday.

Telegraph Road and Michigan Avenue

The viaduct at Telegraph under Michigan Avenue flooded following the severe storms.

The roadway is not the responsibility of the City of Dearborn. The roadway is under the jurisdiction of the State of Michigan.

The state said Monday that the flooding was due to the natural water table being very high in that area, and that the nearby Rouge River flooded as well, affecting the roadway. River water was in the tunnel that connects the east and west side of the Dearborn Hills Golf Course under Telegraph.

The state was addressing the situation on Monday afternoon.

More details about filing a claim with the City’s Legal Department

Note that under state law, anyone filing a claim for property damage or physical injury related to basement flooding must prove:

• the public sewer had a defect.

• the governmental agency knew, or in the exercise of reasonable diligence, should have known about the defect.

• the governmental agency having the legal authority to do so did not take the reasonable steps in a reasonable amount of time to repair, correct or remedy the defect.

• the defect was a substantial proximate cause of the event and the property damage or physical injury.

The City of Dearborn will continue to work with homeowners to review the events that lead to basement flooding.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 at 7:44 am and is filed under Around Town. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.