Should a City be allowed to flood your home with sewage?

If you answered NO, then now is the time to act!

Basement flooding has been a chronic problem in the Downriver communities for many decades.

As was evident from the May flood event, the government has failed to fix the flooding problems.

Much like you, my firm wants this flooding to stop. I am tired of hearing the horror stories from our clients who have been forced to deal with human sewage in their homes.

Unfortunately, there are some in Lansing that just do not care.

Instead of fixing the problems, HB 4692 has been introduced that would make it virtually impossible to hold the city responsible whenever governmental negligence causes raw sewage to flood private property.

The Bill was sponsored, in part, by Representatives Alex Garza, who represents the City of Taylor, and Jewell Jones, who represents Garden City, Inkster, and parts of Dearborn Heights, Livonia, and Westland.

It is unbelievable that they would think that the flooding of your home with sewage is a good idea.

The biggest glaring faults in HB 4692 are:

1. HB 4692 provides absolute immunity for any rain event of 1.7 inches or more in any hour of any flooding event. This type of rain event is expected to occur every 5 years. The law is so broad that almost any rain event would exceed the stated standard and prevent a lawsuit for damages.

2. There is no exception for pump failures, collapsed sewers or any other type of backup that occurs as a result of the governments’ failure to maintain its sewer system. The city will be immune from any flooding lawsuit regardless of its conduct.

3. If a City is granted approval for their sewers by the MDEQ, then any flooding that occurs due to the faulty sewer system receives governmental immunity. Following the Flint water crisis, the MDEQ has proven itself to be such a bureaucratic nightmare that it is ineffective and dangerous.

4. HB 4692 will provide private property with less protection than the MDEQ provides the Great Lakes.

If you think the City should not be given the power to destroy your family’s home, now is the time to act. If you wait until it floods to act, you may have lost your right to stop this.

Now is time to contact the House Regulatory Reform Committee and the sponsors of this horrible Bill. Demand that they vote against HB 4692.