Dearborn Heights council hears residents’ complaints about recurring basement flooding; staff outline multi‑year fixes
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Summary
Residents from the city’s south and north ends told the Dearborn Heights City Council that repeated basement flooding and storm runoff are worsening. City staff said aging infrastructure, loss of green space and combined sewer overflows are drivers; council and staff discussed green‑infrastructure pilots and long timelines for pipe upgrades.
Residents from multiple neighborhoods told the Dearborn Heights City Council on April 8 that repeated basement and street flooding has become more frequent and damaging, and urged faster city action and better coordination with Wayne County.
The concern dominated public comment, with several residents describing homes and newly built properties that have taken water in recent storms. “He had over 4 feet of water in the basement,” resident Bill Caddo said when recounting a neighbor’s experience. Residents asked the council to pressure Wayne County and to pursue local fixes.
City Engineer John Deeb said the problem is a combination of aging infrastructure, more hard surfaces and saturated ground that together exceed existing storm capacity. “We have developed the city quite a bit. Infrastructure hasn’t been looked at in years. Green space is depleted,” Deeb said. He told the council that many recent floods were not caused by a single local pipe failure but by systems and ground already at or beyond capacity.
Deeb said the city will pursue a mix of approaches: separating combined sewer overflow (CSO) basins where feasible, installing green pavement and other green‑infrastructure measures, and targeting basin improvements in a multi‑year program. “When we separate the system, we will install pipes that do not flood your basement,” he said, adding that work to separate three of six combined sewer locations is already underway.
Council members pushed for clearer timelines and more aggressive street‑sweeping and catch‑basin cleaning. Councilman Hassan Ahmad noted that leaf and debris build‑up has reduced basin capacity and asked residents to help by clearing curb inlets on their properties. Deeb agreed that debris in catch basins is a significant and ongoing problem.
The council and staff discussed grants and reimbursements tied to county and federal programs. Deeb said the city is moving ahead with master‑plan related RFQs and that initial site work, borings and geotechnical reports for specific mitigation projects would take weeks to produce once contractors are authorized.
The council did not adopt a new immediate funding package during the meeting; members asked the administration to return with a clearer short‑ and mid‑term plan, cost estimates and a grant‑application timeline.
Ending: Council members said they would follow up with staff on basin cleanup schedules and asked that a draft plan with costs and a multiyear timeline be presented in a study session.