THIS INFORMATION IS FROM THE CITY OF DEARBORN-
Residents are encouraged to report basement flooding and their estimated damages by visiting www.cityofdearborn.org and clicking on the red bar on the home page.
Note that a revised, simplified form is now available. The revised form serves as statutory notice to the City of Dearborn for your losses.
Residents can also access the form by texting 313-635-3900, typing in FLOOD, and following the links.
This form is not a claim form. The data gathered via the form will assist Dearborn with its application for federal emergency relief efforts, which could ultimately help individual households.
By reporting damage and helping the city to compile the full scope of the impact, it is more likely that a federal disaster will be called. If a federal disaster is designated, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will require individuals to file actual claim forms through federal agencies.
Residents should be documenting damage via photographs and video, and saving receipts for all clean up expenses.
Residents with questions can contact the city at 313-586-3181. Callers will be directed to www.cityofdearborn.org for flood updates and to the flood damage reporting form.
Residents affected by the flood who do not have internet access can visit a Dearborn library and connect to the flood report form from the public computers.
Hours for the Henry Ford Centennial Library on June 29-July 1 are 2-6 p.m.
Hours for Esper Branch Library on June 29-July 1 are 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Additional library hours will be available beginning Tuesday, July 6.
For flood response updates, as well as to view important information previously published, visit www.cityofdearborn.org+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Damage from the flood of June 26 has resulted in the closure of three recreation facilities within the City of Dearborn.
As of June 28, the Lapeer pool, Dearborn Hills Golf Course, and the Ford Field comfort stations are all closed while repairs are completed.
The Dearborn Hills Golf Course should be operational for golfers walking the course in 5-7 days. .
Both comfort stations at Ford Field will be sanitized and thoroughly cleaned before reopening. No rentals will be offered for approximately 5-7 days.
The Lapeer Pool basement flooded resulting in a damaged pool pump, which will need to be replaced. A pump is in stock and will be installed before the pool is open again within 5-7 days.
The remainder of the outdoor pools, Ford Woods, Summer Stephens and Ten Eyck are open.
Some damage was caused to the splash pads at Hemlock and Whitmore-Bolles Parks, but are operational as of June 28.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS-Q&A about the City of Dearborn’s Sewer System and the June 26, 2021 Flooding Event
(Information is valid as of 4 p.m. June 28, 2021)
Q: What is believed to have caused the significant flooding that occurred June 26?
A: The storm that led to severe flooding on June 26 was historic. As of June 28, the City of Dearborn is investigating the cause, but preliminary assessments have shown that our sewer system is working as designed. No pump failures or blockages have been discovered as of June 28.
The city’s sewer system is designed to handle three inches of rain within 24 hours. During the June 25-26 storm, Dearborn received over seven and a half inches of rain. Most of this rain occurred within six hours. Comparatively, surrounding cities received an average of five inches of rain. Dearborn received the largest amount of rainfall in the area. These figures were at least two inches higher than those recorded during the flood that occurred in 2014.
Q: What was the federally-mandated sewer separation project intended to do?
A: The Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) project that the City has been working on for years was intended to separate storm water and sanitary water, reducing pollution in the Rouge River, as mandated by the federal government. It was not intended to increase the sewer system’s capacity in order to prevent flooding. The CSO permit was issued by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and was required by a federal mandate to reduce pollution in the Rouge River.
Frequently, during almost all rain events, storm water would become combined with sewer water and drain into the Rouge River. Thus, the CSO project was enacted to mitigate pollution to the Rouge River. More than 40 communities, including Dearborn, are in the Rouge River watershed, and many were affected by the federal mandate to clean up the river.
Dearborn was required to fully finance the CSO project. The federal government did not provide financial assistance.
Q: Why was east Dearborn impacted so severely this time around?
A: East Dearborn sits at a lower ground elevation than west Dearborn, rendering it more vulnerable to flooding. In addition, east Dearborn was developed prior to World War II, meaning that the sewer system was built according to standards at that time. Although those standards were acceptable for that time, they are lower than what is needed today.
Furthermore, continuing housing and building development in that area over the years resulted in the removal of several surface streams that led to the Rouge River, which reduced drainage options during storms.
Due to the elevation level in east Dearborn and its close proximity to the Rouge River, it was not possible to build a deeper sewer system.
Q: What is the City doing to address/prevent this in the future?
A: Unfortunately, retrofitting the sewer system to fit today’s standards, if it were possible, would come with an astronomical cost. The ideal fix would cost roughly $500M, which would lead to a 110 percent increase in residents’ water and sewage bills. That amounts to a total of $170 additional cost on residents’ bills per quarter. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that this sort of system would have prevented the floods that occurred on June 26, or will prevent similar floods in the future. However, the City is currently exploring options in the interim that will assist in alleviating future flooding.