(WWJ) – A Boil Water Advisory impacting more than 130,000 people across seven Metro Detroit communities is going to last a week longer than initially expected, Great Lakes Water Authority officials announced on Tuesday.
GLWA officials say damage from last weekend’s water main break is worse than originally thought. Another 48-feet of the 10-foot diameter pipe is being manufactured to order, and is expected to arrive next week. Officials say that will add another week to the job, before service is restored.
That was the biggest take-away from a Zoom media meeting with GLWA CEO Suzanne Coffey on Tuesday afternoon.
Officials had said Monday the advisory was expected to remain in place for two weeks – one week to make the repairs and one week for water quality testing -- after a part arrived from Texas.
GLWA officials on Saturday morning discovered a leak on a 10-foot water main near Port Huron that distributes finished drinking water from its Lake Huron Water Treatment facility to communities in the northern part of its service area.
Nearly a million people were impacted under the initial Boil Water Advisory after the leak was discovered, but that number dropped drastically on Monday to about 133,000 in seven communities – Almont, Bruce Township, Burtchville Township, Imlay City, the City of Rochester, Shelby Township and Washington Township.
Even though GLWA says it has effectively restored water flow throughout its impacted system, albeit at lower pressure levels, the boil water advisory remains. In addition, there is also one business in Greenwood, and an industrial park in Romeo that remain under the Boil Water Advisory.
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Shelby Township, like other impacted communities, is dealing with another day of water distribution for residents. Shelby Township Supervisor Rick Stathakis says there would be more water, but the state hasn't come through on the emergency order.
He said the township only has 850 cases to distribute at three sites today. On Monday, they went through 1,000 cases in under three and a half hours. Stathakis says he doesn't know what's holding up bottled water shipments from the state.
“Daily, we’re getting reports as to how much water’s coming from the state,” he said. “The county’s doing a great job. As soon as they get the water, that’s how fast we get it. We’re all depending on the state of Michigan to come through for us, and it’s been kinda tough in the last couple days, but hopefully they’ll ramp up.”
Stay tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 for the latest updates on this story.
