Boil Water Advisory Lifted In Oakland County

NOVI, MI — The mandatory boil water advisory has been lifted for all Oakland County communities affected by Monday’s water main break, except for a portion of northwestern Farmington Hills, according to the Great Lakes Water Authority.

A second round of water quality testing was completed late Sunday morning by the Authority and came back clean. The advisory is now lifted for: Commerce Township, Orchard Lake Village, Walled Lake, West Bloomfield Township, Wixom, Novi (the area bounded by 14 Mile on the north, Eight Mile Road on the south, Napier on the west and Haggerty on the east), and Farmington Hills.

Oakland County officials said a first round of water quality testing was done Sunday for the section of northwest Farmington Hills still under the boil advisory and it, too, came back clean. A second round of testing is planned for Monday.

“I also want to thank the residents and businesses who were impacted by this unprecedented break—your patience has been greatly appreciated,” Water Authority CEO Sue McCormick said in a statement. “We understand how much this impacted your lives and apologize for the disruption this caused.”

The water main break occurred late Monday afternoon in a 48-inch transmission line on 14 Mile Road between Farmington and Drake roads. Novi officials said earlier this week it was caused by a power surge that sent highly pressurized water north in the Great Lakes Water Authority system causing the break.

Water Authority crews isolated the location of the break Monday evening, pumped water out and began repairs. New pipe was mostly installed by late Wednesday and crews began pressurizing the system. Officials had hoped to have water quality testing done by Friday, but a pipe leak pushed that schedule back a day.

With the boil advisory lifted, the Water Authority is recommending certain steps are followed before the regular use of water. Following are the checklists for different water-related activities:
Before You Drink Water
Businesses
Food Establishments
Healthcare
Pool Operators
Residents
Schools Childcare

Photo by Steve Johnson via Flickr Commons