In case of an emergency sewer
back-up, please call (616) 355-1643. After Business
Hours, please call (616) 355-1500.
If
you have experienced a sewer back-up and believe the City of Holland and/or the
Holland Board of Public Works is liable, you are required under Michigan Public
Act 222 of 2001 to contact the City of Holland and/or the Holland Board of
Public Works. The City is then required
to send out a claim form even though the City may not be responsible for your
problem. This is so that you can provide
proper notice to the City of a claim for damages as a result of a sewer
backup. A claim form can be downloaded
from the City Clerk’s website here. The completed claim must be mailed to:
City of
City Clerk’s Office
Holland,
MI 49423
The Holland BPW Policy: Residential
Sanitary Sewer Backups (#WW-14) provides the following information:
1. Since customers experiencing a
sewage backup cannot determine whether the backup is caused by an obstruction
in the service lateral or in the public main, the customer may call either a
plumber or the BPW for assistance. If a customer calls a plumber for a
public main backup problem, the BPW reimburses the customer’s ordinary
and reasonable expense for a plumber’s service.
2. The BPW provides cleanup and disinfection
of sewage to customers affected by a Public sewer main backup.
a. You may hire a contractor of your
choice to provide the cleanup and disinfection services. A list of contractors
may be obtained from the HBPW or by searching in the Phone Book under “Water
& Fire Damage Restoration”.
b. You may then submit the cleaning and
disinfection bills to the Holland BPW for reimbursement.
c. You will need to provide
verification from your insurance company indicating what cleaning expense they
have or will cover.
3. Damages not covered by the customer’s
insurance are reviewed by the City’s insurance claim adjuster for
payment authorization. You will need documentation from your insurance company.
Please
refer to the full policy for additional information.
Failure to provide the required Notice may prevent recovery
of damages.
If you experience an overflow or backup of a sewage disposal system or storm water system and you intend to file a claim, any claim you make must be in writing within 45 days after the date of damage or physical injury was discovered. The written notice must contain your name, address, telephone number, the address of the affected property, the date of discovery of any property damages or physical injury, and a brief description of the claim.
Public
Act 170 of 1964, as amended by Public Act 222 of 2001, requires that if you are
seeking compensation for personal injury or property damage, you must show that
the sewage disposal system had a defect; that the appropriate government agency
knew, or reasonably should have known about the defect; that the defect was not
remedied by the government agency in a reasonable amount of time; that the
property damage or personal injury resulted because of the defect; AND that you
own and have related the value of the damaged personal property.
Act 170 of 1964, as amended is Sections 691.1416 through
691.1619 of the Michigan Compiled Laws (MCL).
|
Document |
Description |
|
Definitions. |
|
|
Damages
or physical injuries caused by sewage disposal system event; compliance of
claimant and governmental agency with relief provisions. |
|
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Economic
damages; grounds for non-economic damages; available defenses. |
|
|
Notice of
claim; requirements. |