Manhole Project Will Help Keep Sewer Lines Clear: Plymouth Township

PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, MI — It may not be a glamorous project, but uncovering and restoring more than 400 buried sanitary sewer manholes could help prevent future problems for Plymouth Township residents. The township will launch a project late this summer to uncover and restore to grade the manholes — a key means of access to the sewer system, according to Plymouth Township Supervisor Kurt Heise.

“When sewer lines in our neighborhoods were originally constructed, manholes were positioned at the established grade to ensure they were visible and accessible for ongoing maintenance, repairs, and to meet liability insurance requirements,” he said in a news release. “Unfortunately, many of those manhole covers are now covered with dirt, sod, or landscaping materials and are inaccessible.”

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This project is part of a more than $2 million project to televise, inspect, and inventory the township’s sewer system. The township has about 3,500 sewer manhole covers, which are located in roads, footpaths, driveways, public spaces, and on private property. They are generally found where the sewer changes direction and where two or more sewers join together, Heise said.

“It’s essential that our township’s DPW crews have immediate access to all manholes so we can investigate and fix sewer lines that may be clogged or damaged,” Heise said. “Nobody wants to see your basement flooded, or have giant sinkholes in the middle of our neighborhoods as we have seen in other communities.”

The township intends to send a notice by letter to homeowners with a buried manhole(s) on their property at least two weeks in advance. All buried manholes will be raised to surface grade for full and permanent exposure and accessibility.

“We also understand that the sewer manhole on your property may have been buried by others, or you are unaware of its location,” said Heise, who noted that a buried manhole has been uncovered in his backyard as well.

Residents with questions regarding the project, or who would like to set up an appointment for a DPW staff person to show the location of a covered manhole on your property, can contact (734) 354-3270 Ext. 3.

Photo by Eric Fischer via Flickr Commons