Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Lapeer, Macomb, Oakland, and St. Clair counties following Saturday’s water main break near the Great Lakes Water Authority’s Lake Huron Water Treatment facility.
The 120-inch water transmission break initially caused a boil water advisory for nearly two dozen communities Saturday, and water officials say it could be about two weeks before it will be fully repaired.
Whitmer, in a Sunday statement, said the state is drawing on every resource available to aid impacted families.
“On Saturday, I activated the State Emergency Operations Center to coordinate our response efforts, and with (Sunday’s) state of emergency declaration, we are ensuring that state resources will be available as long as the impacted communities need them. In times of crisis, Michiganders stand together. We will do what it takes to get through this,” Whitmer stated.
The declaration authorizes the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division to coordinate and maximize state efforts. The district coordinators are on scene with local emergency management officials and supporting local emergency operation centers, Whitmer said Sunday.
Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, thanked Whitmer’s declaration to unlock response resources and said her office stands ready to assist.
“It’s vital that our residents have reliable and safe infrastructure, our water infrastructure is essential,” McMorrow stated.
Authorities are waiting on a new part to repair the break, Michelle Zdrodowski, spokesperson for GLWA, told The Detroit News on Sunday. The repair itself will take roughly a week, Zdrodowski said, and then it will be another week for water quality testing.
Zdrodowski said teams worked through the night to try to repair the damage from the broken water main, which was discovered early Saturday.
Zdrodowski confirmed that teams have been able to isolate the break, which is roughly a mile west of GLWA’s Lake Huron Water Treatment Facility, and are in the process of “dewatering” the area in preparation of repairs. There are four eight-inch pumps working to remove water, she said.
“The good news is we do have that new piece of pipe for the replacement and repair, it is on the road to us from Texas,” she said.
The authority is investigating the cause of the water main break. It is not yet clear how much the break and subsequent repairs will cost.
On Sunday, the precautionary boil water advisory was lifted for five more communities: Chesterfield Township, Lenox Township, Mayfield Township, Macomb Township, and the village of New Haven.
Seven communities with a total population of about 133,000 remain under the boil water advisory:
- Village of Almont
- Bruce Township
- Burtchville Township
- Imlay City
- Rochester
- Shelby Township
- Washington Township
On Sunday water pressure was also restored to communities affected by the water main break by changing the direction water is pumped in the transmission system, the authority said. While not at normal levels, the water flow will be adequate to use for sanitary purposes, it said.
“GLWA understands the real-life impact that this water main break is having on the … people in the affected communities and we truly appreciate their patience and understanding as we work to implement the necessary repairs,” Suzanne R. Coffey, GLWA chief executive officer said in a press release.
Initially, the break was reported to potentially impact 935,000 Michigan residents in the 23 communities, but due to the effective response, Whitmer said, the impact is significantly lower than originally projected.
Whitmer activated the state’s Emergency Operations Center at 4 p.m. Saturday in response to the water main break “to ensure that every possible resource is available to GLWA and the impacted communities to accomplish that goal.”
Residents of the communities under the boil water advisory are advised not to drink their water without first boiling it for at least one minute and letting it cool, as when water systems lose pressure, there is a potential for bacterial contamination in the water.
Those bacteria are generally not harmful, GLWA said in a news release, but boiling it will ensure they and any other organisms are killed. Boiled, bottled or disinfected water should be used for drinking, washing dishes and preparing food until the advisory is removed.
The village of Almont posted on Facebook Sunday afternoon asking residents to keep water usage to a minimum as they tap a back-up well and water tower.
“The Village of Almont’s water system has not lost pressure yet, so the Boil Water Advisory was issued out of an abundance of caution,” the Village shared to Facebook. “Please conserve water as pressure will continue to decrease until the main break is fixed, which GLWA estimates to be two weeks. We do have the back-up well running in order to maintain pressure should that pressure begin to decrease.”
Washington Township Supervisor Sebastian Sam Previti said he has been working with GLWA and the Macomb County Emergency Management Team to get residents water.
“We are also working with the County and State to secure drinking water to distribute to the residents and locking down the logistics of it,” Previti said. “I am also working with Clerk (Stanley) Babinski to secure water purchases as well to distribute. Stay tuned as this information is released. We ask you to please refrain from outdoor irrigation watering during this time to help with low water pressure.”
Staff reporter Hannah Mackay contributed.
Whitmer declares state of emergency for 4 counties after water main break & Latest News Update
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