Risk Management

• Start by taking pictures and making a list of all damaged items. If possible, get fans or dryers blowing as soon as possible in the flooded areas.
• Report the situation to your homeowners insurance.
• Notify the City by submitting this form.

The City will advise the homeowner to hire a plumber to check the sewer lateral and other private drains on their property for roots or other defects that could be contributing to the issue. It is recommended that a video record of pipe conditions be made by the plumber to ensure that any cleaning they perform was effective, and to clarify the nature of any defects that might be found. The City’s Department of Public Services will then make a visual check of the flow conditions in the public sewer main to see if it is flowing normally, or backing up.

Yes. In January 2002, a Michigan law on municipal liability for basement flooding went into effect. Public Act 222 of 2001 requires claimants seeking compensation for physical injury or property damage as a result of a sewer-disposal or storm-water-system event to show:

• the City's sewage-disposal system had a defect;
• the City knew, or reasonably should have known, about the defect;
• the City did not remedy the defect in a reasonable time;
• the defect caused the event and the property damage or physical injury;
• the claimant owns, and has shown the value of, any damaged personal property;
• and the claimant notified the City.

Claimants must comply with statutory notice requirements. A claimant who has been injured or has suffered property damage as a result of a sewage-disposal-system event must provide written notice of the event within 45 days after the date the damage or physical injury was discovered. The written notice must contain the claimant's name, address, telephone number, the address of the affected property, the date of discovery of any property damage or physical injury, and a brief description of the claim. Failure to provide proper notice may bar the claim. Download the claim form at www.bhamgov.org/riskmanagement.

Older communities have a combined sewer/storm system that collects both waste and storm water simultaneously in a shared system, which increases the chance of flooding when compared to modern day sewer designs with separate systems. In the late 1990’s, a major bond issue was passed to finance the construction of relief sewers in the areas of the city that were experiencing frequent sewer backups at that time. Those projects only addressed a part of the city that was prioritized based on conditions at that time, and we knew much more work would be needed in the future in other parts of the city. Every road reconstruction project in the city over the past 25 years has included a review of the sewer conditions and where needed, construction of new sewers, relief sewers and storm sewers to alleviate the risk of basement flooding due to sewer backups. For all the work that has been completed, we know there is still much more to be done as the city strives to renew its aging infrastructure systems. We evaluated infrastructure needs based on the conditions of the sewer, water main and road surfaces, and presented those results to the City Commission in September 2021.

The construction of new sewers does not eliminate the risk of future basement backups.  The standard practice for many years of design of combined and storm sewers has been for about two inches of rain in one hour. This is referred to as the “10-year” storm, and represents a 10% chance of occurrence in any given year, based on a statistical analysis of actual rain events. The recent extreme storm events we have experienced have far exceeded that criteria, and consequently may have overwhelmed parts of the sewer system. We note that just as the public system may be overwhelmed by these types of extreme events, private sewer laterals, which in many cases collect groundwater from the home’s foundation drains, and other yard drainage systems may be overwhelmed as well.

As a homeowner, measures you can take to reduce the risk of basement flooding due to sewer backups include: installation of backflow preventer devices on your sewer lateral, ensuring roof downspouts are not connected to the sewer lateral and are extended at least six feet from the building, making sure the surface grade surrounding your home slopes away from the building, and that landscaping or other features do not trap or direct surface water against the building. Also, avoid storing valuable items on the floor or near floor drains to reduce loss of property if a basement flood occurs.