DETROIT—A major sinkhole has disrupted the holiday season in Fraser, a suburb of roughly 14,500 people about 15 miles north of downtown Detroit. Roads have been closed and about two dozen homes evacuated after the Christmas Eve sewer collapse. No injuries have been reported but inconveniences are many as crews begin a months-long process of assessing the damage, making repairs and determining the cause.
WHAT HAPPENED?
On Saturday morning, there was what Fraser Mayor Joe Nichols calls a “failure” underground: A sewer line partially collapsed. That caused the ground to shift and open up, forcing people from their homes and closing roads. Officials say the resulting sinkhole is 250 feet long and 100 feet wide—larger than one in 2004 that caused a nearby section of roadway to cave in. Crews have been working around the clock since Saturday, trying to stabilize and secure the area.
WHAT CAUSED IT?
It’s not yet clear. Nichols says determining why will be the priority of the Macomb County Wastewater Disposal District, which owns the sewer lines. That falls on incoming Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller, a congresswoman who recently unseated longtime commissioner Anthony Marrocco after a contentious campaign. Nichols says Miller has had a representative “on the ground” and at every briefing since problems began.
HOW MUCH IS THIS COSTING?
Again, Nichols says it’s too early to say. But he says it will be “a lot,” given that repairs will take several months to complete. Miller’s spokesman, Brian Baker, said the cost to repair the 2004 sinkhole was roughly $55 million, paid for by residents of Fraser and 10 other communities through their sewer rates. The average homeowner pays about $20 a year as part of the 30-year bond for the repairs, he said.
