Thousands of people living north of Detroit, Michigan, remain under a boil water advisory as the state works to fix a pipeline break discovered over the weekend that could take two weeks to repair.
The break in the water main was discovered early Saturday morning, prompting an initial advisory to boil water before use for nearly 1 million residents, according to the Great Lakes Water Authority. The 120-inch pipeline break occurred in a water main that distributes drinking water to nearby communities from the Lake Huron Water Treatment Facility.
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“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.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) declared a state of emergency Saturday afternoon in response to the main break. Several communities were cleared of the boil water advisory by noon on Sunday.
Crews have isolated the break and have a replacement pipe en route from Texas, according to authorities. The pipeline is expected to be fully operational in two weeks after crews finish repairs and conduct water quality testing.
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When a water main break occurs, city authorities typically implement advisories instructing residents to boil water before ingesting it due to contamination concerns. By boiling the water, residents can kill the bacteria before using it.
Authorities have also recommended using bottled water for drinking, washing dishes, or brushing teeth “until further notice.” The cause of the pipeline break is still under investigation.
