Fraser Sinkhole: Public Works To Ask For $20 Million Loan To Pay For Sinkhole Costs

MACOMB COUNTY, MI — A $20 million loan to pay for Fraser sinkhole-related expenses could be on its way. Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller will appear at a Board of Commissioners meeting today and ask for a $20 million loan from the county to pay for “capital expenditures and related expenses" tied to the Fraser sinkhole, according to a press release.

The Fraser sinkhole disaster has devastated the county since Dec. 24, 2016. That's when a sewer line collapse triggered a roughly 250 feet long and 100 feet wide sinkhole in the area of 15 Mile Rd. and Hayes Rd. in Fraser. The 11 communities served by the sewer line have been greatly affected - both in their day to day lives and financially.

For starters, a water restriction alert has gone into effect to curb water usage. “I cannot stress enough – we have no capacity in the system for any additional sewage flow," Candice S. Miller, the Macomb County Public Works Commissioner, said in a statement on Jan. 27. Miller continued, "The situation is dire and we are at the mercy of Mother Nature until we can get the temporary by-pass lines in place.”

The bubbling issue is that shifting sediment has significantly reduced the amount of sewage that can flow through the damaged sewer interceptor line along 15 Mile Rd. in Fraser to an "almost negligible amount," according to the alert. Engineers first noticed the problem on Jan. 26, and a closer inspection led to the discovery that the whole 11-foot diameter of the interceptor was blocked and only seepage is moving down the line. That's an issue because the existing by-pass lines installed along the sinkhole route can only handle so-called “dry weather” sewage flow, according to the alert. And get this - the alert warns that even a quarter of an inch of rainfall could trigger the "unavoidable release" of sewage into the Clinton River, which in turn flows into Lake St. Clair.

Affected residents are also facing higher water bills, which will start this summer to help pay for sewer repairs. Officials estimate the total cost to repair the sinkhole could be pass over $100 million dollars.

Just last week, Gov. Rick Snyder opened the Disaster and Emergency Contingency Fund to provide financial relief to impacted communities. The move affords affected towns the opportunity to apply for assistance grants of up to $100,000 to pay for Fraser sinkhole-related recovery costs ranging from shelter supplies to civil employees' overtime expenses. Days earlier, the state House and Senate, per Snyder's request, extended the state of emergency declarations through March 31 for Macomb County and Clinton Township, which have been under a state of emergency since Jan. 5 and Jan. 17.

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