Rain Water Management will Save our Detroit Sewer System from being Overloaded

By Richard Clement

"Rain Water and Solar Power will create a lot of green jobs"
  - A District 2 resident daydreaming in Science Class at Mumford High School

Water Use is Critical 

In the not too distant future, City of Detroit homeowners will be required to remove the downspout that connects gutters to the sewer line by law.  Failure to comply may result in a fine as a last resort measure. However there will be opportunity to come into compliance with a one-time credit of $100 on a residential water bill.  All of this is very preliminary and will be based on public input on how to help residents to comply with these necessary changes to their home.

Currently when a large amount of rain falls on the Southeastern Region (Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties) the rain water from homes combines with sewage and overflows the system. To reduce the volume of water going into the Sewer, citizens are encouraged disconnect their downspouts and redirect the water into rain barrels, and gardens.  For every square foot of your roof, equals 1 gallon of water. Doing this separates the rain water from the raw sewage system easing the load on the system.

As a part of Greening the Detroit neighborhoods, the Detroit Chapter of the Sierra Club(click here) is selling 55 gallon rain barrel kits made from bio-degradable plastic.  The water captured from a homeowner’s roof is collected into the barrels until filled. Some setups have TWO barrels because of their purpose for the water that is being collected.  An additional barrel can be connected by a 2 ft hose for overflow purposes.   Reports have it that these barrels fill quickly and people have used the water to wash their cars with.

Fire Up Detroit

When an ordinance is developed to compel change, great care and deference will be given to the citizens first. If you would like to have some input on how to compel residents to make the necessary changes, please share them with City Council and the Mayor’s office.