Boil water advisory in Oakland County: 51,000 without water, new pipe on the way

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – The Great Lakes Water Authority held a news conference Tuesday afternoon to address the boil water advisory in Oakland County.

Officials say a new pipe is on the way to the main break site, which will be followed by 48 hours of testing before the boil water advisory is lifted.

As of 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, GLWA said 51,000 were without water in Oakland County, estimating more than 250,000 impacted.

GLWA says they expect to lift the advisory by Friday night.

The water main was not expected to break and was installed in the 1970s.

GLWA also noted that some water service is being restored to some areas in the advisory zone, but the boil water advisory would still be in effect until further testing.

An investigation is underway to find the cause of the main break.

MORE:

• Water authority: Oakland County boil water advisory could be lifted as early as Friday evening
• Oakland County boil water advisory: Frequently asked questions answered
• Bloomfield Township boil water alert: 75 percent of township affected
• Bloomfield Hills Schools to be closed Tuesday due to boil water advisory
• VIEW FULL SCHOOL CLOSINGS LIST HERE
• Providence Park Hospital transfers patients to hospital in Southfield due to water outage
• Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital without water; patients being transferred
• West Bloomfield Beaumont Medical Center temporarily closed due to water issues

There is water still flowing to residents and business in the affected communities, with the exception of Novi where residents are reporting no running water. 

West Bloomfield police said it could take 4-5 days for a fix. However, the GLWA said the boil water advisory could be lifted as early as Friday evening. 

Everyone in the following 12 communities is advised to boil their tap water before using it: 

• Bloomfield Township
• Commerce Township
• Farmington Hills (North of I-696)
• Keego Harbor
• Novi (complete water outage reported)
• Novi Township
• Oakland Township (specifically the subdivisions: The Hills of Oakland and Kings Pointe)
• Orchard Lake Village
• Rochester Hills (north of Hamlin and west of Livernois)
• Walled Lake
• West Bloomfield Township
• Wixom

Full GLWA press conference

You can watch the full Great Lakes Water Authority press conference below:

Boil water before using

Residents must bring all water to a boil for at least one minute and then let it cool before using, officials said.

Boiled, bottled or disinfected water should be used for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth and preparing food until further notice.

The GLWA is taking the precautionary measure because of a transmission main break that occurred around 5:45 p.m. Monday on 14 Mile Road between Farmington and Drake roads, causing a loss of water pressure in the water distribution system (pressure below 20 psi).

Whenever a water system loses pressure for a significant time, precautionary measures are recommended since a loss of pressure can lead to bacterial contamination in the water system, officials said.

Bacteria are generally not harmful and are common throughout our environment. Boiling water before using it will kill bacteria and other organisms that may be in the water.

The GLWA is currently investigating the cause of the break.

The boil water advisory will remain in effect until results from sampling verify the water is safe to drink.

Statement from GLWA

Here is the latest statement from GLWA on Tuesday morning: 

Effective immediately, the Great Lakes Water Authority is issuing a MANDATORY Boil Water Advisory for the communities of Commerce Township, Farmington Hills (north of I-696), Novi (the area bounded by 14 Mile on the north, 8 mile on the south, Napier on the west and Haggerty on the east), Oakland Township (specifically the subdivisions: The Hills of Oakland and Kings Pointe), Rochester Hills (north of Hamlin and west of Livernois), Walled Lake, West Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Township (the area bounded by South Blvd. on the north, 14 Mile on the south, Inkster on the west and Adams Road on the East), and Wixom.

RESIDENTS SHOULD NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Residents must bring all water to a boil for at least one minute and then let it cool before using. Boiled, bottled or disinfected water should be used for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth, and preparing food until further notice.

GLWA is taking this precautionary measure due to a transmission main break that occurred at approximately 5:45 p.m. today on 14 Mile Road between Farmington and Drake, causing a loss of water pressure in the water distribution system (pressure below 20 psi).

Whenever a water system loses pressure for any significant length of time, precautionary measures are recommended since a loss of pressure can lead to bacterial contamination in the water system. Bacteria are generally not harmful and are common throughout our environment. Boiling water before using it will kill bacteria and other organisms that may be in the water.
GLWA is currently investigating the cause of the break. The Boil Water Advisory will remain in effect until results from sampling verify the water is safe to drink. GLWA Water Quality will advise the affected communities when the BOIL WATER ADVISORY has been lifted.

General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1(800) 426-4791.

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