Broken pipes leave residents without water at Heritage Place Apartments in Detroit

Residents searching for answers after water turned off

DETROIT – Residents of the Heritage Place Apartments on Detroit's west side are without water due to broken pipes.

"All the electricity is messed up in here," resident Michelle Haynes said. "The water is messed up in here."

"For the last four days, we've had absolutely no water in the building," resident Cynthia Dowdy said. "We've went outside. We've scooped up snow, melted it on the stove to flush the toilets."

The problem is broken pipes.

"Three days ago -- there's an apartment on the second floor -- the pipes above that apartment broke," Dowdy said. "Their apartment got flooded."

The building's owner had the city shut off the water, and now residents said they can't get any answers.

"I know people that have called the owners and haven't gotten any responses," Dowdy said. "We weren't even informed when the water was turned off."

Local 4 called the mayor's office and got a quick response. Dave Bell, of the Detroit Building Department, said the city will give the owner a chance to make a good faith effort and get any problems fixed quickly.

"They've got six plumbers on-site that are working on the problem," Bell said. "They've got two electricians that are on their way. The guy is telling me that they're going to have this taken care of today."

Residents said they've had enough.

"I've got high blood pressure and I don't need to go through this stuff I'm going through," Haynes said. "This is the worst place I've ever lived in. I'm 51 years old."

You can watch Steve Garagiola's full story in the video posted above.


About the Authors:

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.