The Great Lakes Water Authority approved rate hikes of 5.9% for water and 4.5% for sewerage for dozens of Southeast Michigan communities that it provides utility service to, according to a press release from the agency.

The Great Lakes Water Authority's chief financial officer said lower rate hikes mean it'll set aside $2.2 million less for capital improvements.

The increases are tied to current and new infrastructure projects, including corrosion control in pipelines owned by local cities and a massive study on flood mitigation in Southeast Michigan.

About 12 feet of pipe needs to be replaced in the aftermath of a water main break Monday in southwest Detroit.

Tonight on The Detroit Evening Report, we cover new water rates, upcoming road closures, proposed legislation for transfer students and more.

In the days after a water main break in southwest Detroit flooded homes and forced residents out on rafts, Jackie Muscat thought something was a little fishy with what she was being asked to sign: a liability waiver that had to be completed if she wanted city-sent contractors to fix her home.

The Great Lakes Water Authority just approved its biggest-ever rate increase for water and sewer services. The increase announced on Wednesday (Feb. 26) will be 5.9% for water and 4.5% for sewer. That’s less than the original proposal of 7.73% for water and 5.39% for sewer service.

On Monday, a 54-inch steel transmission line built in the 1930s ruptured in the southeast part of the city, reported the Detroit Free Press, part of USA TODAY Network. Crews had to use inflatable boats to get through the knee-deep water, which in part aided in the rescue of about 200 people.

The city and its associated water supply agencies, Great Lakes Water Authority and the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, continued efforts Wednesday to rectify the damage done when a 54-inch ...

It could be six weeks before many can return, a city water official said. Subfreezing temperatures may have contributed to the break.

"I implore you, the Great Lakes Water Authority: Stop doing these increases on these residents ― on people who are already financially strapped," Detroit resident Rochella Stewart said on Zoom.

A major water main break in Southwest Detroit caused by older infrastructure and freezing temperatures impacted around 400 properties and displaced hundreds of families on Monday, Feb. 17.