St. Clair Shores runs along the western shore of Lake St. Clair, and the lake is never far from a plumbing problem here. The city has 14 miles of canals, most of them along the Nautical Mile on Jefferson Avenue between 9 Mile and 10 Mile roads. Back from the water, the median home was built in 1957, half of the city's 28,321 housing units went up during the 1950s, and 82 percent are detached single-family houses. Picture block after block of nearly 70-year-old basements, each with a floor drain, a sump pit and an owner-held sewer lateral.
Canal lots, 1950s basements and Lake St. Clair high water
The Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District reported record monthly lake levels in 2019, then broke them again in May 2020, when Lake St. Clair stood 2.75 feet above its long-term average. In spring 2019 the city declared a high-water emergency and put out about 80,000 sandbags left over from the 1980s, and canal and lakefront residents were urged to sandbag their own shorelines.
As a rule of the trade, lakeside lots carry a high water table, so a pit near the canals can cycle all spring and wear out its switch and check valve sooner. Ask about a battery backup before the thaw.
Rain is the second load. Macomb County was part of federal disaster declarations for the August 2014 flood, the June 2021 storms and the August 2023 storms. FEMA owner registrations from the city's ZIPs came to about 628 after 2014, 110 after 2021 and 342 after 2023, with renters left out. The city's Combined Sewer Area Map marks districts where storm water and sewage share one pipe. When that pipe surcharges, water rises toward the lowest opening in the house, usually the basement floor drain. The mechanics are in our post on why a basement floor drain backs up in heavy rain.
Houses of this age often still carry galvanized supply, cast iron stacks and a clay lateral with root-prone joints.
Jefferson Avenue, two retention basins and a new relief sewer
Sewage leaves through two county drainage districts, Martin (shared with Roseville) and the 8.5 Mile Relief Drain (shared with Eastpointe), and both send flow to the Great Lakes Water Authority plant in Detroit. Each has a county retention treatment basin in town, at 23001 Nine Mile Road and on Bon Brae. The Jefferson Relief Sewer project is micro-tunneling a 60-inch pipe under the southbound curb lane of Jefferson Avenue from 9 Mile Road to Rio Vista. It links the two basins to cut overflows into the lake, with traffic stages planned through March 1, 2027. The 8.5 Mile basin has already been expanded to 31 million gallons, and the Violet and Bon Heur pump stations of the Southeast Macomb County system sit in town too.
Tap water comes from GLWA's Northeast and Lake Huron plants. The 2026 Water Quality Report counted 25,202 service lines and said 485 lead lines were replaced from 2020 through 2025.
Near the Blossom Heath Park pier, on the canal streets off the Nautical Mile or in the blocks by Veterans Memorial Park and the Civic Arena, the typical calls repeat: a sump pit that won't stop running in a wet spring, a floor drain that bubbles in a downpour, a rusted galvanized line ahead of the meter, and a lateral traced out to a main that may sit across the street. For a lot close to the water, the city's FEMA flood maps page explains how to check a parcel and request a Letter of Map Amendment. We cover all three Shores ZIPs: 48080, 48081 and 48082.
Heading east past Harper Avenue for a lakeshore call
From Janet Ave we run east on 14 Mile, 13 Mile or Masonic Boulevard through Roseville, then use Harper Avenue or I-94 to go south.
- Call (207) 419-2600 and describe what you see. If sewage is rising, shut off fixtures upstairs and keep clear of wet floors near outlets.
- We check the floor drain, the sump pit and the main cleanout first.
- If the trouble lies past the foundation, we record a camera run down the lateral for you to watch.
- Digging a sewer line takes a permit and inspection through Community Development at City Hall on Jefferson, and final inspection is due within 10 days of finishing.
- For backup damage, the city's flooding page explains how to file a DPW claim.
Plumbing for canal-side and 1950s Shores houses
Sump pump installation and repair
Lake St. Clair set record levels in 2019 and 2020, and canal and lakefront owners were told to sandbag. Lakeside lots tend to hold a high water table, so pits here cycle hard all spring.
Sewer inspection and line repair
Owners here are responsible for the lateral out to the city main, which the city says may sit across the street. A camera run finds the damage before anyone plans a street dig.
Drain cleaning and clog removal
The city's own Combined Sewer Area Map shows districts where storm water and sewage share a pipe. A floor drain that backs up in dry weather points to a clog in your lateral instead.
Main water line repair and replacement
The 2026 water report still listed 13 lead and 612 unknown-material service lines in the city. Checking yours starts at the pipe just ahead of the meter, where the material is easy to see.
Whole home repiping
Half of the city's housing went up in the 1950s, when galvanized steel supply pipe was common. Seventy years on it is often rusted inside, which shows up as weak flow and brown water.
Water heater installation
The city's plumbing permit form has a water heater line item, and final inspection is due within 10 days. In a 1950s basement the swap also means checking the old flue and the gas connection.
The city's plumbing permit form lists backwater valves, sump pumps, water heaters and water service work, so expect a permit for each. Before digging under a street, get a sewer camera inspection.
Lateral and lake level questions from Shores homeowners
Who owns the sewer line under the street in front of my St. Clair Shores house?
You do, up to the point where it joins the city main, and the city says that point may be across the street. Excavation needs a permit and inspection through Community Development, residential sanitary repairs must be at least 6 inches in diameter, and the plumber restores the right-of-way, concrete included. A camera inspection first shows where the damage is before anyone digs.
How can I tell if my water service line is lead?
Start with the city's records. DPW links a distribution system materials inventory, and the 2026 report still counted 13 lead lines and 612 of unknown material. Then check the pipe just before your meter. Lead is dull gray and soft, a key scratch turns it shiny silver, and a magnet won't stick. Call (207) 419-2600 and we'll check it with you.
My street flooded in 2014 and again in 2023. What can I do about the basement?
First check which sewer serves you. The city's Combined Sewer Area Map shows where storm water and sewage share a pipe, and owners in the city's ZIPs filed about 628 FEMA registrations after August 2014 and 342 after August 2023. Options include a backwater valve, which has its own line on the city's plumbing permit form, a floor drain standpipe and a larger sump with battery backup. None of them stops every backup, so a camera look at the lateral comes first.
Cities around St. Clair Shores we also cover
See every city we serve from Fraser · Why your basement floor drain backs up when it pours