Bay View flooding tied to clogged stormwater pipe, emergency cleanup underway
Emergency sewer work is in progress in Bay View after the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District discovered a massive stormwater pipe clogged with debris, potentially contributing to recent flooding
MILWAUKEE —
Emergency sewer clearing is underway on the south end of Jones Island to address flooding issues in Bay View, where residents experienced significant sewer backups during storms in April and August.
Katie Egan-Keene, a Bay View resident, shared how the flooding affected her home.
“We had to tear out brand new carpeting; we had to replace some furniture and some other belongings that meant a lot to us,” she said.
Egan-Keene also described the ongoing anxiety caused by the flooding.
“We were nervous every time it rained. Going down to the basement and what are we going to find? I don’t know when I will stop feeling that way until they get to the bottom of what’s going on.”
The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District recently discovered that tons of debris had clogged a massive drain pipe designed to handle overflow when the deep tunnel system is full. The blockage, which went unnoticed until late June, left the pipe nearly inoperable.
“We didn’t know until the end of June it was blocked. We thought it was flowing still until the end of June,” said MMSD Executive Director Kevin Shafer Wednesday.
When asked about the extent of the blockage, Shafer confirmed, “It’s totally blocked.”
The pipe is used only a few times a year when the deep tunnel reaches capacity, but its functionality is critical during heavy storms. MMSD noted that while the cleanup is expected to help, the August storm may have caused backups regardless of the pipe’s condition due to its severity.
“In August, we don’t know; that storm was so large even if the pipe had been open, I think you would’ve had backups in the area just because of the size of the storm. In April, we don’t know yet. We just got the climatological data from that, and we’re gonna model that to see. So, we don’t know the answer yet,” Shafer said.
The pipe drains underwater into Lake Michigan. It’s suspected the debris entered the pipe during a period of lower lake levels when the debris was drawn inside. The cleanup includes installing a flap at the end of the pipe to prevent future blockages.
Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic released a statement addressing the situation Wednesday.
She said she is “calling on MMSD to immediately provide a public timeline of events, including when the failure was discovered, what actions were taken, and when the City was notified.”
Dimitrijevic also demanded “immediate restitution by MMSD for impacted homeowners, renters and businesses.”
MMSD responded, stating that calls for restitution are premature as the investigation continues into the cause of the flooding.