Sinkhole forces workers to pump sewage into Michigan river

FRASER, Mich. – Officials say crews have begun pumping sewage into a Detroit-area river to prevent flooding after a sinkhole forced people from their homes and closed roads.

Clinton Township Supervisor Bob Cannon told WWJ-AM on Monday that the Clinton River discharge was necessary, though officials hoped to avoid it.

Officials say the sinkhole, which formed Saturday in neighboring Fraser, is 250 feet long and 100 feet wide — larger than one in 2004 that caused a section of roadway to cave in.

People in about two dozen homes have been evacuated. Consulting engineer Scott Lockwood says they aim to get to residents back in homes within two weeks, but three homes are considered unsafe.

Mayor Joseph Nichols, who declared a state of emergency, told residents the goal is to get answers.