Chesterfield Township is two places for a plumber. Along Anchor Bay, the arm of Lake St. Clair that forms the township's southeast edge, there are canal homes with seawalls, docks and crawl spaces. Inland, it's subdivisions: the median home was built in 1994, and 45.7% went up between 1990 and 2009. Canal homes fight the lake. Subdivision basements fight storms and aging sump pumps. We cover 48047 and 48051 and the communities inside them, among them Anchor Bay Gardens, Anchor Bay Shores, Chesterfield Shores, Point Lakeview and Sebille Manor.
Plumbing for Anchor Bay homes and inland subdivisions
Sump pump installation and repair
The Aug. 25, 2023 storms put several feet of water in one subdivision basement, and many pumps date to 1990s builds. A battery backup covers the outage that often comes with the storm.
Water heater installation
45.7% of homes were built from 1990 to 2009, so plenty of original tank heaters are at the end of their service life. A township plumbing permit covers the swap.
Backflow testing and prevention
The township requires approved backflow devices and routine testing, usually yearly, and owners must schedule it. Sprinkler systems in the newer subdivisions are where most of these devices sit.
Bathroom remodel plumbing
A basement bathroom in a 1990s or 2000s home needs a township plumbing permit, filed online with Building and Code. Check the flood plain map before finishing below grade.
Sewer inspection and line repair
Canal-side homes sit in wet ground near Anchor Bay, where a camera shows lateral sags before they back up. Inland, PVC laterals from the 1990s still collect grease and roots at joints.
Emergency plumbing
Lake water topped a Wand Drive seawall in 2019, and an August 2023 storm came in through an egress window. When water is moving, we start on the phone with the shutoff and pump breaker.
Two township rules shape this list. Backflow devices have to be approved and tested on a routine schedule, typically every year, and booking the test is the owner's job, so check with us on the phone about testing your device. Plumbing work such as a water heater swap or a basement bathroom needs a permit from Building and Code Enforcement at Township Hall, 47275 Sugarbush Road, with applications filed online through BS&A.
Sump pits, egress windows and a rising bay
In June 2019, homes along a canal on Wand Drive had been fighting rising water since early May. One household had placed 1,500 sandbags and was running six pumps, and the owner said an east wind could push the water up about six inches. Lake water came over his seawall and into the crawl space, and he said the township told him it couldn't act because the property was private. That's the canal risk: lake water at the foundation and a pump setup that has to keep pace for weeks.
The inland risk is rain. On August 25, 2023, storms flooded a Chesterfield subdivision that residents said had not flooded that badly before, and one basement took several feet of water through an egress window. Supervisor Brad Kersten said the township was documenting damage to seek a county emergency declaration. In a 1990s or 2000s house, a night like that tests a sump pump that may be original, a check valve nobody has replaced, and a discharge line that may be clogged. The building department links its flood plain maps from its web page, so look yours up before finishing a basement.
Our guide to floor drains in heavy rain explains why water often shows up at the drain first.
Driving up from Fraser on Groesbeck and Hall Road
From Janet Ave we head north on Groesbeck to its end at Hall Road, then east to Gratiot, which runs north through a corner of Macomb Township into Chesterfield and ends at I-94 and 23 Mile.
On the phone, tell us if the house sits on a canal lot or in a subdivision, and if water is coming in now. At canal homes we look at the crawl space or basement, the pumps and where they discharge, and whether the main drain could use a backwater valve. In subdivision houses we test the sump pump, float and check valve, then look at the water heater, which in a 1990s home is often the first tank. When a township inspection is needed, the request goes to a voicemail line with the address, permit number and inspection type, and 3 PM is the cutoff for next-day inspections. Before spring, run through our sump pump checklist.
Gratiot main breaks and the township water system
The township's Department of Public Services on Sierra Drive supplies about 45,000 residents through five master meters. It buys GLWA water from two sources, the Lake Huron plant north of Port Huron and the Detroit River intake. Those mains run along Gratiot too: on July 5, 2025, GLWA found a leak on a 36-inch transmission main between 24 and 25 Mile that left Chesterfield, Lenox and New Haven with pressure swings and discolored water during the repair. Sewage leaves by way of the county-run Macomb Interceptor district, which is why Chesterfield was among the 11 communities told to cut water use during the 2017 sinkhole on 15 Mile in Fraser.
Familiar landmarks here include Brandenburg Park on the bay, the Chesterfield Township Library on Patricia Avenue and Township Hall on Sugarbush, in Anchor Bay and L'Anse Creuse school territory. The Salt River runs through the township too, with Point Lakeview between it and the lake.
Chesterfield Township questions from canal and subdivision owners
Does Chesterfield Township have lead water service lines?
The township says no. Its 2025 water quality report explains that a system-wide meter change-out from 2000 to 2005 included inspecting service lines, and an audit of tap records back to 1957 found no lead used in installations. Lead sampling in 2025 showed a 90th percentile of 0 ppb. Older faucets and solder inside a home can still contain some lead, so a tap test is your call.
Why is my water cloudy or low-pressure after a main break?
When GLWA repaired a leaking 36-inch transmission main on Gratiot between 24 and 25 Mile in July 2025, it warned Chesterfield customers about pressure swings and discolored water. Stirred-up sediment in the mains causes both. Run cold water at a tub spout for several minutes, then unscrew and rinse the faucet aerators. If one fixture stays weak after that, the problem is likely inside the house.
Cities around Chesterfield Township we also cover
See every city we serve from Fraser · A sump pump checklist for before the spring thaw · Why your basement floor drain backs up when it pours