(WWJ) -- The cities of Novi, Walled Lake and a portion of Commerce Township continue to be under boil water advisory.
A 48-inch water main break on Sunday around 5:15 p.m. on 14 Mile and Drake roads prompted the advisory from the Great Lakes Water Authority.
Areas of Keego Harbor, Sylvan Lake, West Bloomfield, Farmington Hills, and Wixom were also monitoring the situation, and some residents may be experiencing low water pressure.
When the water main broke, water was shot directly into several homes in the area, WWJ's Jon Hewett reports.
One resident said it was "like a cannon shooting straight at the back of the house."
"It went through brick, it went through the second floor wall, so they had to board it up last night. It went through everything," Darrell Welker said.
Welker said the contents of his kitchen were floating in his back yard, some of it even a block away.
A generator was brought in to help pump out water from the area.
Novi Community School District and Walled Lake Consolidated School District were closed Monday due to the water main break.
It was not exactly clear what led to the break, but officials say the boil water advisory could last for several days.
“After the water main is placed back in service bacteriological samples will be collected to determine that the water quality meets the state drinking water standards. We will inform you when tests show no bacteria and you no longer need to boil your water,” Novi said in a release.
Officials advise all residents should boil any tap water before drinking it or using it to cook or brush teeth. If possible, the CDC recommends using bottled water instead.
Meanwhile, 14 Mile Road is closed to traffic between Halsted and Drake Roads while crews work to fix the issue.
More details on the advisory can be found on the city of Novi’s website.
In a statement, the Great Lakes Water Authority said it has prioritized fixing the issue and is “proud of the quick response of the GLWA team to isolate the pipes necessary to start working on the required repairs.”
The authority says while several communities are under boil water advisories, “at no time has the water pressure in the regional system dropped to the point that would require a boil water advisory be issued by GLWA.”
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