The sewer collapse in Fraser in December 2016 was caused by human error. An investigation done for the Macomb County public works found what the commissioner calls a water hammer that went off like a bomb at the restriction in the sewer pipe along 15 Mile Road. Candice Miller says workers were repairing the sewer line downstream, relining the sewer, and held back the flow so the work could go on.
Miller says that the workers released the sewer flow too fast, which caused a tsunami-like wave in the pipe, which blew the sewer apart. Miller says the county will seek more insurance payments to cover the cost of the collapse repairs. Right now the sewer users, the property owners, are being charged with a special assessment. Miller does not say whether any more insurance payments would impact the special tax.