Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) officials provided an update on the $240.4 million invested in water and sewer upgrades over the past two years. More construction is planned this summer and next year at $203.9M, including a massive project in Far West Detroit. DWSD has also announced an equity initiative to put more Detroiters and Detroit-based and black-owned contractors to work on its capital improvement program
In June 2019, DWSD launched a new data-driven capital improvement program to begin to address the aging water and sewer infrastructure.
DWSD Director Gary Brown said: “We are undertaking the largest water and sewer upgrade program in more than 80 years. Water affordability is at the forefront of every decision we make at DWSD. We are performing this work without double-digit rate increases, and in fact, the increases have averaged three percent annually since 2016. And, we are in the process of recruiting a procurement coordinator whose sole purpose will be to engage more Detroit-based and black-owned contractors, whether as a prime contractor leading a project or a subcontractor working on specific areas such as landscaping.”
Through its $240.4 million investment, leveraging the $50M annual lease payment from the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA), DWSD and its contractors have replaced 66 miles of water main based condition and risk assessments and water main breaks; replaced 1,155 lead service lines with extensive outreach leading to 100% response rate to replace the private portion; replaced or lined 50 miles of sewer collection piping to improve sewer capacity based on previous assessments; and installed 11 bioretention gardens on Oakman Boulevard to improve stormwater management.
For more information on these projects and plans for the future visit here.
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