Southwest Detroit residents woke up to a familiar crisis when a 54-inch water transmission main at Beard and Rowan ruptured, flooding streets and disrupting daily life. Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) crews isolated the break, but for many residents, this is yet another chapter in Detroit’s long history of infrastructure failures that disproportionately impact Black and marginalized communities.
The break occurred in the early hours of February 17, 2025, on a steel pipe laid in the 1930s. Water flooded the area from Chatfield to Lafayette and Lewerenz to Solvay. As water levels begin to recede, GLWA is working with the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) and city officials to manage the emergency. Residents are left wondering when systemic issues within Detroit’s water infrastructure will be addressed with lasting solutions.
Detroit City Council recently debated the allocation of $95 million in federal disaster recovery funds meant to repair damages from the 2021 floods. Thousands of homes were affected, and while $47.6 million will go to homeless shelters, sewer repairs, and affordable housing, some council members, including Latisha Johnson, believe the city is missing an opportunity to help residents fortify their homes against future floods.
“I see a tremendous need to help residents become more resilient in their home,” Johnson said, emphasizing that the funds were intended for disaster recovery. She opposed using $17 million of flood relief for single-family rental housing, arguing that those funds should support the basement backup protection program.
The basement backup program, launched in February 2024 in 11 flood-prone neighborhoods, has not reopened for new applications despite ongoing needs. Johnson’s call to expand the program was met with resistance from the council majority, who feared losing federal funds if changes delayed the process. Council Member Coleman Young II defended the current plan, warning that altering the funding allocation could jeopardize the entire $95 million.
“A couple of rules of the road: Don’t scratch a man’s car, don’t take food off another man’s plate without asking and you do not look a gift horse of $95 million in the mouth,” Young said.
Residents in neighborhoods like Southwest Detroit remain skeptical. The city’s private sewer repair program, funded with $43 million from federal disaster relief, completed 309 repairs out of 1,676 applications since August. Many homeowners face hurdles due to the 13 documents required for federal assistance, as Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero pointed out. She highlighted the pressing need for sewer repairs in District 6 and the barriers residents face when seeking help.
Detroit’s aging sewer system, built decades ago, was designed for much lower rainfall volumes than the city now experiences. Mayor Mike Duggan acknowledged the system’s limitations, noting that it was built to handle 4 inches of rain in 24 hours, but recent storms have brought as much as 6 inches, resulting in catastrophic basement backups.
“We’ve had two incidents with 5½ and 6 inches of rain, and what happens then is the basements in this city back up. It is devastating to go downstairs and find 3 or 4 feet of raw sewage in your basement, lose your furnace, lose your dryer, lose your belongings,” Duggan said.
Tree roots, decades of wear, and blockages in the 1,800 miles of alley sewer lines exacerbate the problem. Neighborhoods like Cornerstone Village, North Rosedale Park, and the North End frequently face flooding due to these blockages. Duggan noted that the city’s resources are insufficient to address these issues alone, emphasizing the importance of federal funding to improve infrastructure.
“We couldn’t possibly have the resources to address this on our own. This is an opportunity to make the homes in this city much more secure. It’s going to take years to rebuild, but this is a huge jump start,” Duggan said.
In 2024, DWSD cleaned 622 miles of sewers and 8,000 catch basins, investing $50 million annually in sewer maintenance. Many residents feel that the pace of repairs is too slow and the focus is misplaced. Santiago-Romero and Johnson’s concerns reflect the broader sentiment among Detroiters who have endured repeated flooding and systemic neglect.
More than a year after storms and tornadoes devastated Michigan, the federal government granted $460.8 million in disaster recovery funds to the state, Wayne County, and Detroit. Of that, $346.8 million is earmarked for Detroit through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to repair alley drains, upgrade sewer lines, and build flood-resilient housing.
While city officials herald the grant as historic, residents demand transparency and accountability in how these funds are spent. They have seen promises before and lived through the consequences of broken systems. The GLWA water main break is not an isolated incident but a symptom of deeper infrastructure challenges that Detroit has faced for decades. The response to this crisis will be a litmus test for whether the city and its partners can truly serve the people who call Detroit home.
The crisis highlights the need for investment in Detroit’s infrastructure. Residents bear the burden of outdated systems, and while emergency responses are critical, long-term solutions remain elusive. For communities like Southwest Detroit, every flood is a reminder that their voices must be heard, their needs prioritized, and their resilience acknowledged. Detroit’s future depends on addressing these challenges head-on, with accountability, investment, and an unwavering commitment to its people. Detroiters deserve infrastructure that works. This is a demand, not a request. The weight of history demands nothing less, and the city’s response will speak louder than any press release ever could.
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