Map of communities affected by the water outage (photo: Great Lakes Water Authority) An estimated 935,000 were affected by a water main outage at the Great Lakes Water Authority’s Lake Huron facility. GLWA is working to isolate a break in the 120-inch water main. the largest in the regional water distribution system. The leak was discovered in the early hours of Saturday morning. The location of the spill was found about a mile west of GLWA’s Lake Huron Water Treatment Facility. Crews are working to isolate the area so repairs can begin. Update: GLWA lowers boil water advisory in 13 communities after water outages Emergency connections to other networks in the system will be opened once the leak is contained, GLWA said. A precautionary boil water advisory had been issued for the following affected communities:
The village of Almont City of Auburn Hills Bruce Municipality Borough of Burtchville Borough of Chesterfield Clinton Township City of Flint City of Flint City of Imlay City City of Lapeer Lenox Township Macomb Township Mayfield Township Village of New Haven Orion Township City of Pontiac City of Rochester City of Rochester Hills Township of Shelby City of Sterling Heights City of Troy City of Utica Washington City
From 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, the following communities were removed from the preemptive boil water advisory: Clinton Township, Flint, Flint Township, Rochester Hills, Pontiac, Auburn Hills, Orion Township, Utica, Troy, Sterling Heights and Lapeer. “Based on further review of GLWA’s water pressure data, it does not appear that the water pressure in these communities fell below the 20 psi limit for the boil water advisory,” GLWA said in a statement. The city of Romeo has been added to the precautionary boil water advisory, according to the GLWA. Residents subject to the boil water advisory should not drink water without boiling it for at least one minute and then letting it cool, GLWA said. Boiled, bottled or disinfected water should be used for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth and preparing food until further notice. “Whenever a water system loses pressure for a significant period of time, precautionary measures are recommended, as the loss of pressure can lead to bacterial contamination in the water system,” GLWA said. “Bacteria are generally not harmful and are common throughout our environment. Boiling water before use will kill bacteria and other organisms that may be in the water.” The cause of the water main break is still under investigation. Updates will be provided as information becomes available. For more information, contact the Great Lakes Water Authority Water Quality at [email protected] or by calling (313) 926-8192 or (313) 926-8128. General guidance on ways to reduce the risk of microbial contamination is available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1(800) 426-4791. Stay with FOX 2 for updates
