LINCOLN PARK, Mich. (WXYZ — Neighbors in Lincoln Park say they are tired of their basements flooding during rain events.
On Tuesday, the city says heavy rain inundated their sewage and drainage systems. The quick falling rain resulted in several inches of sewage water and human waste into homes on River Ct. just off of Emmons Blvd.
"As soon as I turn the light switch on, I turn, look and just saw black," said Kenny Cavill as he described the flooding in his basement. "The last two times it’s backed up, it’s just been like dirty water but this is the first time we’ve actually witnessed people’s fecal floating."
Cavill says this is the third time this year he and his neighbors' basements have flooded, leaving behind thousands of dollars in damage. The last time their basement flooded was less than a month ago in July.
Cavill says the raw sewage water ruined clothing, appliances and they now have to gut their basement. Cavill and his wife Kelli lost several keepsakes from their recent wedding and the flood waters left behind a terrible stench.
"We pay all this money in taxes, our taxes went up. We’re paying all this money to live here and we can only enjoy the top half. We can’t put any belongings in the basement for fear of them getting ruined," said Cavill.
When similar flooding happened in January this year, the city launched an investigation to determine what the cause of the flooding was but neighbors say nothing has been done to prevent future floods since then. As of Wednesday, August 7th, the city said they're still waiting for results from the January investigation.
"All of us residents were kind of waiting to see what their investigation was going to turn up with and they claim one of the pumps failed but that was about all we heard," said Cavill.
7 News Detroit went to Lincoln Park City Hall Wednesday where the Mayor and City Manager declined an on camera interview. The city leaders told our crew Lincoln Park has aging infrastructure they're working to upgrade every day with a series of grants from state and federal funding totaling around $30 million.
The city manager and mayor also added that while they have received calls about raw sewage coming up during floods, it is rare. They estimate receiving about 35 calls about flooding on Tuesday.
They also say to their knowledge the water pumps, which are automated during rain events, were properly functioning yesterday.
Cavill and his neighbors say the city needs to step up so this recurring nightmare can end.
