Clinton Township is a big place to plumb. It covers 28 square miles and counted 100,513 residents in the 2020 census, and fewer than half its homes are detached single-family houses. About 17 percent are attached condos, and many more units sit in apartment buildings and mobile home parks. That mix changes the work: swapping a water heater in a condo closet is a different job from swapping one in a colonial basement, and a clog in a shared stack can reach the neighbors before it reaches you.
Clay sewer leads, condos and the Clinton River floodplain
The township's median home was built in 1980, but 29 percent of homes went up before 1970 and the 1970s added another 22 percent. Houses from before the mid-1970s are the ones the township's sanitary sewer lead pilot program was written for: owner-occupied, single-family homes built in 1974 or earlier with vitrified clay sewer leads. In that program, "lead" means the sewer lateral, not lead metal. Clay pipe comes in short sections, and each joint is a place where roots can enter or settling soil can open a gap.
Newer housing follows its own pattern. Condo buildings from the 1980s and '90s usually stack bathrooms over one another on a shared drain line, with a separate water heater in each unit. When the stack clogs, the lowest unit sees it first.
The Clinton River forms from three branches inside the township and runs east to Harrison Township and Lake St. Clair. At the National Weather Service gauge in Mount Clemens, minor flood stage is 16 feet. At 17 feet, low spots flood on Romeo Plank Rd by the Partridge Creek golf course, on Cass Ave and on Hydenrich Rd. The river crested at 18.71 feet in May 2004. After the storm of August 11, 2014, the gauge upstream near Fraser logged its highest flow in 67 years of records. For basements near the banks, the sump pump and its backup decide how a high-water week goes.
Crossing 15 Mile Rd for a township service call
Our office on Janet Ave is just south of 14 Mile Rd, so most township visits start north on Garfield Rd or up Groesbeck Hwy.
- You call (207) 419-2600 and tell us what's happening. If water is running where it shouldn't, we'll walk you through closing the main shutoff first.
- We ask whether it's a house or a condo, and for a condo, whether the association handles the shared stack.
- On site, we find the cause before talking about the fix. A slow main drain in a pre-1975 house usually means a camera run through the clay lead.
- If the work needs a permit, the plumbing application goes to the township Building Department at 40700 Romeo Plank Rd, and the inspection is requested online once the permit is active.
- You hear what we found and what each option involves before any work begins.
If the camera shows heavy roots or grease rather than broken pipe, our comparison of hydro jetting and drain snaking explains which method fits.
Plumbing work township homes call about most
Sewer inspection and line repair
A camera run shows whether a pre-1975 clay sewer lead is cracked or rooted before anyone talks about digging. Those are the homes the township's vitrified clay lead program was written for, so the footage tells you where yours stands.
Sewer line replacement
The township has funded repairs of failing clay sewer leads on homes built in 1974 or earlier. When a lead is broken or offset at several joints, full replacement is the option to price against spot repairs.
Drain cleaning and clog removal
Fewer than half of township homes are detached houses. In stacked condo and apartment buildings, a clog in the shared line shows up in the lowest unit first, so cleaning starts at the right cleanout.
Water heater installation
About 17% of township homes are attached condos, where closet size and venting decide which tank fits. Getting a new one in and the old one out of a finished unit is part of the plan.
Sump pump installation and repair
Clinton River flood stages reach local roads, and the township allows deduct meters for water-powered backups. At 17 feet on the Mount Clemens gauge, Romeo Plank, Cass and Hydenrich have low spots under water.
Main water line repair and replacement
521 township service lines were still listed as unknown material in April 2026. No lead lines have turned up, and a look where yours enters the house usually settles what it is and whether it needs work.
Backflow testing and prevention
The township runs a cross connection control program covering testable backflow assemblies. A water-powered backup sump pump also needs a backflow device on its supply line; call to confirm testing for your device.
Water heater repair
Clinton Township's own water report puts GLWA hardness near 105 mg/L, enough to settle sediment in a tank, and with a median build year of 1980 many heaters sit in tight utility rooms.
A condo water heater in a tight closet gives warning signs before it fails, and our guide to signs your water heater is failing covers what to watch for. If your lateral turns out to be sound but the drain keeps slowing, drain cleaning is usually where the fix starts.
Romeo Plank, Garfield and the river gauges
Township sewage rides the same Macomb Interceptor that runs under Fraser's 15 Mile Rd. Clinton Township is one of the 11 communities in that drainage district, and after the interceptor collapsed in Fraser at the end of 2016, township residents were among those asked to cut water use in January 2017. Drinking water comes from the Great Lakes Water Authority plus the City of Mount Clemens, at an average hardness of about 105 mg/L, or roughly 6 grains per gallon.
Unknown-material lines fell from 1,510 in January 2025 to 521 in April 2026, and no lead lines have been found. If yours is still unknown, we can identify the pipe where it enters the house during any visit.
In a place this mixed, the kind of building predicts the call better than the street does. Pre-1975 houses bring slow main drains and rooted clay leads. Condo complexes bring closet water heaters near the end of their life and stack clogs where the association has a say in who fixes what. Mobile homes, about 4.5 percent of township housing, usually sit on park-owned water and sewer piping, so a leak under a home starts with finding out whose line it is. River streets bring sump pumps that cycle for days during a high-water stretch.
The USGS gauge called Clinton River near Fraser sits about 1.7 miles north of Fraser's 15 Mile edge, inside the township, and a second gauge on Moravian Dr at Mount Clemens watches the east side. The Civic Center is on Romeo Plank Rd, Macomb Community College's Center Campus is on Garfield Rd, and the Mall at Partridge Creek is up on Hall Rd. We cover the river streets near George George Memorial Park and all three township ZIP codes: 48035, 48036 and 48038.
Sewer lead, sump and river questions from township owners
Does Clinton Township help pay to fix a clay sewer lead?
It has. The township's federally funded pilot program paid 50, 75 or 100 percent of a sewer lead repair, depending on income, for owner-occupied single-family homes built in 1974 or earlier with clay leads and household income under 125 percent of area median income. Phase 2 applications are closed. Ask the township whether another round is planned, and get the lead camera-inspected so you know its condition either way.
Is there lead in my Clinton Township water service line?
The township's inventory lists no lead service lines, but 521 lines were still unknown material in April 2026, out of 27,552. You can report yours through the township's Find Your Pipe Type page. In 2025 tap testing, one sample topped the 12 ppb action level, so older solder and fixtures inside a house still deserve a look.
Can I use a water-powered backup sump pump in the township?
Yes. The township's Water and Sewer page says a deduct meter can be used for the water a water-powered backup sump pump runs during a power outage. These pumps rely on steady city pressure and need a backflow device on the supply connection. We can tell you whether one suits your basement.
Do I need a township permit to replace a water heater?
Plumbing is one of the trade permits issued by the Building Department at 40700 Romeo Plank Rd. Applications go in with payment, and inspections are requested online once the permit is active. Confirm the permit type with the department, and for a gas water heater ask about the mechanical side too.
Cities around Clinton Township we also cover
See every city we serve from Fraser · Hydro jetting or drain snaking for a stubborn clog · Signs your water heater is close to failing