FORT GRATIOT TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The major water transmission main that has been offline in Metro Detroit since mid-August is up and running again as of Monday.
The Great Lakes Water Authority announced Monday, Oct. 3, that the water main -- which distributes drinking water to several Metro Detroit communities -- has resumed normal operations. A leak was detected in the water main’s 10-foot-diameter pipe on Aug. 13, causing the main to close for repairs since.
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The repair timeline had been pushed back several times, partly due to delivery delays of a replacement pipe, and partly because the flushing and disinfecting of the new pipe was taking longer than expected. Repairs were initially set to be finished by Sept. 3, then the completion date was changed to Sept. 21 earlier that month. Then, officials said that the pipe wouldn’t be up and running until Oct. 5.
GLWA officials said last week that quality testing showed the water moving through the new pipe met or surpassed regulatory standards, and that they were on track to reopen the water main by Oct. 5.
When the leak was discovered on Aug. 13, boil water advisories were issued to more than 20 Metro Detroit communities as a precaution due to a change in water pressure. Those boil water notices have since been lifted, but those same communities were asked to limit their outdoor water usage while the water main was undergoing repairs.
Those communities are no longer being asked to limit their outdoor water usage as of Monday.
Photos from the water main repair process can be seen below.