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Mount Clemens orders engineering study after repeated Kendrick Street basement flooding
Summary
Residents told the city commission their basements have flooded repeatedly; the commission directed the city engineer to study separating sewers in a phased plan and produce cost estimates, with a report expected in about a month.
Residents told the Mount Clemens City Commission that recurring basement flooding on Kendrick Street has caused repeated property damage, and city officials said they have directed an engineering study to identify fixes.
"This happens every time it rains hard... We're losing valuable household assets every single time this happens," resident Toby Wolf said, identifying himself as the owner of properties at 62 and 76 Kendrick and asking when the city will replace an "outdated and outmoded sewer system." His wife, Christine Lynn Wolf, described videos and timestamps of flood events and said the family has been unable to replace appliances after multiple losses in a 1929 home: "We can't keep any of our appliances. We are living — I'm squatting in my own house." Both comments came during public comment at the Aug. 18 commission meeting.
City Manager Shipman responded that the commission has directed the city engineer "to look at separating the sewers throughout the entire city and provide associated costs to accomplish this in a phased approach." He said staff hope to have the engineering study within "about the next month" and will follow up with email updates.
Shipman also noted residents have sometimes received denials from their claim administrator, which residents described as a "blanket refusal letter from Sedgwick claims without having it done any investigation." The city emphasized the importance of residents reporting flooding through the official city channels so incidents are documented; officials said reports filed only to social media are not captured in the city's tracking system.
Commissioners acknowledged the problem as a top priority but cautioned it will take time and money to fix. "We need to get this study back," one commissioner said; another said the engineering work is necessary to qualify for funding programs. The commission did not vote on a funding package at the meeting; instead, officials said the study will inform phased, costed options for repair and replacement.
Next step: the city engineer will produce a phased sewer separation study and associated cost estimates, expected in roughly one month, after which the commission will consider funding and timing options.
