More than 130K north of Detroit under boil water advisory after water main break

Authorities in Michigan said Sunday that more than 130,000 residents north of Detroit were under a boil water advisory after a 120-inch water main break.

In a statement on Sunday, the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) shared that seven communities remain under the boil water advisory, predicting that it might take an additional two weeks to fix the issue. 

Under such an advisory, residents in the affected area are advised to 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,” the water authority said. 

The water main break was found 1 mile from the Lake Huron water treatment facility in Lake Huron.

The GLWA also shared that water flow and pressure has been restored in other communities affected by the outbreak, adding that it accomplished this by making changes in the direction water is pumped into the transmission system. 

The respective communities of Chesterfield Township, Lenox Township, Mayfield Township, Macomb Township and the City of New Haven had their boil water advisories lifted as of Sunday, the GLWA said. 

“GLWA understands the real-life impact that this water main break is having on the hundreds of thousands of people in the affected communities and we truly appreciate their patience and understanding as we work to implement the necessary repairs,” GLWA CEO Suzanne Coffey said in a statement. “I am grateful for the GLWA team who has been working tirelessly to restore water pressure to all communities and working as quickly as possible to restore service.”

The update comes after almost 1 million residents in 23 neighboring communities were under the boil water advisory on Saturday. 

The GLWA also said in its advisory that its crews have identified the location of the leak, which occurred a mile from the company’s Lake Huron water treatment facility.