Is Dearborn on combined sewers or separated sewers?

The city's 2026 sewer study puts about 40 percent of Dearborn on combined sewers and 30 percent on separated sewers. The other 30 percent is a hybrid. Sewage goes to the Great Lakes Water Authority for treatment. In big storms, combined flow runs to three city treatment shafts, then to the Rouge River or the regional system.

Does my Dearborn home have a lead water service line?

The city's 2024 water quality report counts 6,932 known lead service lines out of 32,733, with 1,219 of unknown material. Its Water Quality Team identifies a home's line material by appointment. The city plans to replace all of its lead lines within twenty years, along with its water main work. Michigan's rule puts the full line, both sides, at the water system's expense.

What does sewer line replacement cost in Dearborn?

Length and depth drive most of the price. A lead under a driveway or a city sidewalk adds restoration work. A dig in the street or a back easement adds the city's permit fees and its pavement rules. We look at the job and put a free estimate in writing.

What happens to my yard during a sewer line replacement in Dearborn?

A replacement opens a trench from the house toward the city sewer, and a repair digs only at the break. We compact the backfill in lifts and restore the lawn or pavement. On a right-of-way dig, Dearborn wants the pavement restored promptly. If the contractor falls behind, the city hires its own and bills the permit holder.

Why does my Dearborn basement back up when it rains?

In combined areas, rain and sewage share one pipe, and a big storm can overload it. The city says its system was built for about three inches of rain in a day. A cracked or root-filled sewer lead can back up in dry weather too. A camera inspection shows which problem you have.

Sewer Line Replacement in Dearborn, MI | Sewer Line Repair, Water Service Lines and Excavation

Dearborn's Combined Sewers and Basement Flooding

Dearborn's sewer system is old, and most of it was built as combined sewers. The city's study counts 456 miles of sewer, most of it laid before 1940. About 40 percent of the city still carries storm water and sewage in one pipe. Another 30 percent is fully separated, and the rest is a hybrid of the two.

Those pipes were sized for smaller storms than the city gets now. East and Northeast Dearborn were built to a 1920s standard of about 2.8 inches of rain in a day. West Dearborn was built to a 1950s standard of about 3.3 inches. The August 2014 storm brought flooding and backups to about 10,000 homes.

The northeast corner, called the Chase District, has some of the city's lowest ground and most widespread backups. Dearborn also sits far down the Rouge River watershed, which slows how fast storm water can leave. The study recommends separating the sewers, starting in South Dearborn and Northeast Dearborn. A federal grant is paying for about 6,200 feet of new storm sewer in east Dearborn, between Chase and Greenfield.

Sewer Line Repair for Older Dearborn Homes

Unless it has been replaced, the private sewer lead is as old as the house. By Census Bureau estimates, about seven in ten Dearborn homes were built before 1960. About one in four went up before 1940. Leads from those years are often clay pipe, and roots work into the joints.

Post-war homes can have fiber pipe instead. Michigan's plumbing board accepted it in 1949, and it was used into the early 1970s. As it breaks down, it can flatten under the weight of the soil. A camera inspection shows which pipe you have and where it has failed.

One broken joint in sound pipe calls for a sewer line repair. Cracks or flattening along the run call for a full replacement. We dig with mini-excavators where access is tight and full-size equipment for deeper runs. The backfill goes back in compacted lifts, and then we restore the lawn or pavement.

Who Fixes a Sewer Backup in Dearborn?

Report a backup to the city first. Dearborn sends a crew to see whether the stoppage sits in the city main or your private line. If the main is clear, the city says the owner calls a licensed plumber or drain service. An inspector decides whether a repair is needed and who pays for it, the city or the homeowner.

A clog is a job for a plumber or a drain cleaning company. When the pipe itself has cracked or collapsed, the repair or replacement is our work. The city's flood page also suggests a check valve, which lets waste flow out but not back in. It advises having one installed by a professional plumber.

Dearborn splits sewer permits between private and public work. The city's plumbing permit has a sewer section for laterals, inspected by its Plumbing Division. Repairs and taps in the street right-of-way or a back easement take an Engineering Division permit. Under the plumbing permit, work stays uncovered until the plumbing inspector approves it.

Demolition and New Construction in Dearborn

When an old house comes down for a new one, the sewer lead changes too. Dearborn's dismantle and wrecking permit asks for utility releases and an asbestos notification. Its inspections include a sewer cap inspection and a final check that the land is restored. Our house demolition work clears and grades the lot for the new build.

Dearborn's Engineering Division requires a new sewer lead from every new home to the city sewer. A new tap replaces the old wye connection, and the lead must enter below the footing. Downspouts may not connect to the sewer, and in separated areas the storm and sanitary leads stay apart.

Out front, the city wants the driveway apron in poured concrete, with a cross slope of 8 percent or less. A new apron or city sidewalk takes the Engineering Division's flatwork permit, with inspections before and after the pour. We pour concrete driveways and aprons to fit those rules.