Oakland County Boil Water Advisory May Last Until Sunday

NOVI, MI — The boil water advisory for parts of Oakland Township and Rochester Hills was lifted Thursday afternoon by the Great Lakes Water Authority, but will remain in place for all other Oakland County communities affected by the water main break in Farmington Hills until as late as Sunday.

The Water Authority said it made “great progress” in repairing the 48-inch transmission main Wednesday, but during pressure testing, a leak was discovered. In a statement, the Water Authority said the leak has been repaired and its system should be fully pressurized by late Thursday.

But the leak has pushed back two days of water quality testing back and, a result, the boil water advisory will remain until some point during the weekend, the Water Authority said.

The mandatory boil water advisory continues for:

• Commerce Township, Farmington Hills (north of I-696), Novi (the area bounded by 14 Mile on the north, 8 mile on the south, Napier on the west and Haggerty on the east), Walled Lake, West Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Township (the area bounded by South Blvd. on the north, 14 Mile on the south, Inkster on the west and Adams Road on the East), Keego Harbor, Orchard Lake and Wixom.

In Oakland Township, the advisory has been lifted for the Hills of Oakland and Kings Pointe subdivision. Rochester Hills north of Hamlin and west of Livernois has also been lifted.

Novi officials said Tuesday the water main break was caused by a power surge that originated in Livonia. The surge sent highly pressurized water north in the Great Lakes Water Authority system causing the break in the transmission main to fail on 14 Mile Road between Farmington and Drake roads.

Oakland County Health Officer Leigh-Anne Stafford said the testing period for water is important.

“Communities which have had water restored are still under a boil water advisory,” she said in a statement. “Even after the boil water advisory has been lifted, it does not mean you can drink or use the water right away. Some residents, businesses, restaurants, and healthcare, school and childcare facilities need to be aware of devices, appliances, and other items that have been impacted.”

In order for the boil water advisory to be lifted, the water system must be tested for bacteria at least twice, 24 hours apart, Stafford added. “It is possible not all communities will have their advisories lifted at the same time because they may have different sampling schedules.”

Photo by Daniel Orth via Flickr Commons