Macomb County will inspect the entire pipe system that surrounds a collapsed sewer that turned into a massive sinkhole on Christmas Eve.
The inspection will use cameras and other technology to examine 17 miles of pipe in the Macomb Interceptor Drainage District.
Candice Miller, Macomb County’s public works officer, says a full inspection is the only way to see if there is additional damage and what the fixes might be.
The total repair cost could exceed $ 150 million, and the brunt of that will fall on interest payers in the 11 Macomb parishes that make up the drainage area.
“We need to have all of the information on hand to make sure we can make the best decision for the interest payers because, frankly, it’s the one who pays for all of this work,” Miller said.
To date, Macomb County has not received any major state or federal aid to deal with the sinkhole. “Cross your fingers, we’ll get some help here, but maybe not,” Miller said.
A state grant will help cover most of the $ 1.5 million state inspection cost, Miller said. It should take 3-4 months.
Miller’s office is using additional government grants to inspect sewer infrastructure in other parts of the county.
Just this week the county announced that a camera inspection of two large storm sewers uncovered an illegal sewer connection in one of them.
This illegal faucet from an Eastpointe apartment complex means millions of gallons of untreated sewage can go straight into Lake St. Clair for more than three decades. The city of Eastpointe has now cut the illegal connection.
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