LINCOLN PARK, Mich. (WXYZ) — Neighbors in Lincoln Park say they are tired of their basements flooding when it rains.
On Tuesday, heavy rain overwhelmed the sewer and drainage systems, according to the city. The rapid onset of rain caused several inches of sewage and human waste to enter homes on River Ct., just off Emmons Blvd.
“As soon as I turn on the light switch, I turn around, look and see only black,” said Kenny Cavill as he described the flooding in his basement. “The last two times it’s been left behind, it’s been like dirty water, but this is the first time we’ve actually seen human feces floating in the water.”
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Cavill says this is the third time this year that he and his neighbors’ basements have flooded, and the damage has run into the thousands of dollars. The last time their basement flooded was less than a month ago in July.
Cavill says the sewage ruined clothes and appliances, and now they have to clean out their basement. Cavill and his wife, Kelli, lost several mementos from their wedding and the flood left a terrible stench.
Kenny Cavill
“We pay so much money in taxes, our taxes have gone up. We pay so much money to live here and we can only enjoy the top half. We can’t put things in the basement because we’re afraid they’ll break,” Cavill said.
When similar flooding occurred in January of this year, the city launched an investigation to determine the cause of the flooding. But residents say nothing has been done since then to prevent future flooding. On Wednesday, August 7, the city said it was still waiting for the results of the January investigation.
Kenny Cavill
“We residents were all waiting anxiously to see what their investigation would reveal and then they claimed one of the pumps had failed, but that was pretty much all we heard,” Cavill said.
7 News Detroit went to Lincoln Park City Hall on Wednesday, where the mayor and city manager declined an on-camera interview. City leaders told our team that Lincoln Park has aging infrastructure that they are working daily to upgrade with a series of state and federal grants totaling about $30 million.
The city manager and mayor added that while they have received calls about the buildup of raw sewage during floods, it is rare. They estimate they received about 35 calls about flooding on Tuesday.
They also say that to their knowledge the water pumps that start automatically when it rains were working properly yesterday.
Cavill and his neighbors believe the city must intervene to put an end to this recurring nightmare.
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