Nearly 935,000 people in southeast Michigan were advised to boil their drinking water Saturday after a critical water main break was reported.
The 23 communities include Flint, Pontiac, Sterling Heights, Clinton Township, Utica and Troy, The Great Lakes Water Authority said.
GLWA is working to isolate a break in a 120-inch water transmission main that distributes finished drinking water from our Lake Huron water treatment facility to communities in the northern part of the service area of drinking water from GLWA. pic.twitter.com/X2z34yAUhN
— Great Lakes Water Authority (@glwatermi) August 13, 2022
Crews identified the location of the leak, which is approximately one mile west of the authority’s Lake Huron water treatment facility.
The 120-inch pipe in St. Clair, called the water main, carries treated water from Lake Huron and is the largest in the system, the agency said.
“Once the leak is isolated, crews will begin to open emergency connections to other networks in the system to restore some flow to affected communities,” the agency said.
“A loss of pressure can cause bacterial contamination in the water system…Boiling the water before use will kill bacteria and other organisms that may be in the water,” the GLWA said.
Residents of the affected counties are asked not to drink the water without boiling it first. The authority advises residents to bring all water to a boil for at least one minute and then let it cool before using it.
“Boiled, bottled or disinfected water should be used for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth and preparing food until further notice,” the agency said.
