Residents press Clawson for answers on repeated sewage backups; city manager says CCTV program nearing completion
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Summary
A resident described years of sewage backups and requested inspection footage; City Manager reported sewer televising is 87% complete and staff tentatively estimate $4 million in repairs from a $10 million bond set aside for sewers.
A Clawson resident told the City Council Oct. 7 that repeated sewage backups and flooded yards at Bywood and Broadacre have persisted for 11 years and requested sewer inspection footage, a meeting with public works and engineers, and an explanation of how large homes were approved on a reportedly failing sewer line.
"It's raw human sewage in people's basements," Julie Beatty told council, urging the city to schedule meetings with DPW and engineers and to provide the CCTV footage of the inspection she said was run at her corner this summer.
City Manager (Raker) responded in his report that the city's televising and cleaning program is approximately 87% complete and that the initial CCTV program should be finished this calendar year. He said the city set aside $10 million from an infrastructure bond for anticipated sewer repairs and that staff are tentatively estimating about $4 million in needed sewer repairs, with some locations still requiring county action.
Manager Raker also said staff will post updates on the Department of Public Works and Engineering section of the city website and that AEW and DPW are managing the program. Beatty asked for a meeting with DPW and engineers and copies of the inspection footage; council did not set a specific follow‑up date but the manager described the CCTV program as near completion and committed to updates.
The exchange underscored resident frustration about communication and timelines for infrastructure work; the city supplied a status update but did not present a detailed repair schedule or a timeline for the requested meeting during the October 7 session.
