HARSENS ISLAND (WWJ) — Members of dive team in the waters off of Harsens Island were successful on Friday in identifying the site of a water main break that has left hundreds of island residents without water service for the past two days.
Officials with Clay Township on Thursday declared a state of emergency on the St. Clair County island — which sits in Lake St. Clair, near the Canadian border — after a main broke.
Township Supervisor Paul Cassidy told WWJ Newsradio 950 divers on Friday afternoon located the spot where the break occurred in five feet of water in the North Channel, some 150 yards offshore from the mainland.
Thursday's bitter cold temperatures and high winds prevented divers from searching for the source of the issue.
Township leaders are looking to get help from the state to try and fix the broken pipe as soon as possible.
Cassidy said officials believe something hit the main, causing it to break.
"I'm hoping and optimistic that (Saturday) they'll be able to finish it up," Cassidy said.
Cassidy said even if crews are able to make that repair this weekend, the line will still need to be flushed and water samples will need to be taken before the "all clear" is given.
In the meantime, officials have been making potable water available to residents at the Harsens Island Fire Department on La Croix Road. Kroger and Meijer shipped in cases of water to help residents.
WWJ's Tim Pamplin reported on Thursday Rita, a longtime Harsens Island resident, went “straight back to her younger days” when she learned of the water main break.
“Before we got city water, we’d draw our water from the river,” she said. “Dip down in the water and get five gallons and flush the toilets.”
“But now I can go home, and I just throw a big pot of water on the wood stove for hot water to wash the dishes and I’m gonna make peanut brittle,” Rita said.
More on today's top stories: