The contracting out of city inspectors on the 21 mile Macomb County Interceptor likely resulted in the infamous break of the water main on 15 Mile Road in Sterling Heights
in Aug. 2004, which created a huge sinkhole and released millions of gallons of raw sewage. Shown here with contractors repairing the break are former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and former DWSD Director Victor Mercado, both now in federal court on corruption charges. Current Detroit Mayor Dave Bing’s administration and the City Council later gave the Oakland-Macomb Interceptor to those counties at the directive of Judge Sean Cox.