DETROIT – City officials provided an update on recovery efforts for the Southwest Detroit neighborhood that flooded from a water main break in February.
Previous coverage: Furnaces damaged in Southwest Detroit water main break to be replaced by next week, city official says
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Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said the recovery efforts are “on target” for the six-week goal set by Detroit Water and Sewer Department Director Gary Brown.
Of the 90 water heaters damaged by the main break, 60 have since been replaced. Duggan said half of the furnaces damaged by the main break have since been replaced as well.
Brown said the claim process for cars is going by quickly. The majority of cars have been totaled, and the city has reimbursed the owners with the car’s blue-book price.
When the water main break happened, more than 200 households were moved to hotels. 105 are still living in the hotels, and 30 are still in the process of moving back.
Brown estimated this project will cost $8 million to $10 million, which will be split between DWSD and Great Lakes Water Authority.
Background
The 54-inch water main built in the 1930s burst early on Feb. 17, 2025, displacing hundreds of residents.
There were 398 homes inside the emergency flood zone. Many basements were completely flooded, and some homes had flooding up to the first floor.
It took 11 different agencies from across Metro Detroit to help ferry homeowners safely away from the freezing water.
City officials said it is the worst water main break Detroit has ever seen.
Crews began going into the homes affected by the water main break on Feb. 24 and started replacing appliances that were damaged, such as furnaces and water heaters. They also have been removing all the belongings damaged from the home to begin clean-up and repair efforts.
It took about two weeks for the pipe to be repaired.
The full press conference on March 12 can be viewed below:
