HARSENS ISLAND (WWJ) A Boil Water Advisory is in effect for Harsens Island after a water main break left the island without water for three days.
Clay Township officials say bacteria may be present in the water system of Harsens Island. As water pressure is restored, customers need to flush their plumbing and appliances.
Residents of the island— which sits in Lake St. Clair, near the Canadian border—can expect to see air, discolored water, and chlorine until they flush out their appliances, officials said.
Officials urge all residents to bring water to a boil for at least one minute and let cool, or use bottled water, for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and cooking.
Boiling kills the bacteria and other organisms that may be present in the water.
Officials say you should continue to boil water or use bottled water until further notice following the water main break on Thursday, December 12th. Boiling is recommended whenever a system loses pressure for a meaningful length of time.
The elderly, infants and people with compromised immune systems may be at increased risk—and should seek advice about the drinking water from their doctors. General guidelines on ways to reduce the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1 (800) 426-4791.
The boil water advisory will be in effect until sampling results verify the water meets safe drinking standards. It’s expected to last about a week.
Township officials urged residents of Harsens Island to share this notice with those who did not receive it directly including people in apartments, schools, nursing homes and businesses.
If you need to report water quality problems, you can call the Water Department of Clay Township at (810) 794-3475 or the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) at (586) 504-7163.
Members of a dive team identified the source of the water main break on Friday, in five feet of water in the North Channel, some 150 yards offshore from the mainland. A state of emergency was declared. Thursday’s frigid temperature delayed a search for the cause of the break.
Harsens Island is home to about 900 people year round.