Northwest Wayne News

Mayor Mike Duggan and Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) Director Gary Brown on Feb. 7 announced a program and up to $15 million initiative to assist residential homeowners in protecting their property during rainstorms by installing a backwater valve and/or sump pump. 

Homeowner occupants and landlords in 11 identified neighborhoods are eligible to apply today for the Basement Backup Protection Program, which is being paid for with a portion of the city’s share of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, according to a press release from the mayor. 

“The Basement Backup Protection Program builds on the successes we’ve seen with programs in Windsor, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., and refines it for what we believe will work in Detroit," Brown said, according to the release. "Rather than a reimbursement-based subsidy program where homeowners get their own plumber, our program provides the complete services from plumber selection to inspection to installation."

In response to increasingly frequent and severe weather events experienced last summer, DWSD Director Brown, spoke with the Mayor, as well as with other cities and experts. DWSD began designing a program that protects residential homeowners in Detroit neighborhoods that have historically experienced basement backups during large rain events, according to the release.

“Last year’s massive rainstorm overwhelmed the sewer system, and in turn identified two areas we need to work on together,” Duggan said, according to the release. “First, how can we make the sewer system more climate resilient and secondly, in the near term how can we help homeowners in flood prone areas protect their property. The Detroit Future Fund has created that opportunity for Detroiters right now.”

Owners of occupied single-family houses, two-family flats and duplexes are eligible to apply if they are in the identified neighborhoods, according to the release.

Eligible homeowners can apply online at www.detroitmi.gov/basementprotection. Once the application is preliminarily approved, the city of Detroit Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department (BSEED) will perform a courtesy inspection for house conditions and occupancy. Next, the assigned licensed plumber will inspect the home and speak with the homeowner to suggest appropriate services, depending on the house and property, according to the release.