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Boil water advisory issued in Oakland County communities after water main break

Published  October 24, 2017 4:19pm EDT
News
FOX 2 Detroit

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (WJBK) - UPDATE: 304,970 Oakland County residents are impacted by the water main break and 51,380 residents don't have water.

A water main break in Farmington Hills has prompted officials to issue a boil water advisory for about a dozen communities. Several schools have also closed, and some patients at St. John Providence Park Hospital in Novi are being transferred as the facility has no water.

Those under the boil water advisory include:

  • Bloomfield Township
  • Commerce Township
  • Farmington Hills
  • Keego Harbor
  • Novi: city water shut off by Water Authority. Water being given out at Novi Civic Center to elderly residents and those in need
  • Novi Township
  • Oakland Township: specifically the subdivisions: The Hills of Oakland and Kings Pointe
  • Orchard Lake
  • Rochester Hills: north of Hamlin and west of Livernois
  • Walled Lake
  • West Bloomfield Township
  • Wixom

HOSPITALS AND SCHOOLS ALSO AFFECTED

Due to St. John Providence Park Hospital in Novi having no water, some critical patients are being transferred to St. John Providence in Southfield. Some elective surgeries have also been canceled until further notice.

Henry Ford says service at its West Bloomfield Hospital is affected, as well as service at medical centers on Columbus, Commerce, Farmington and Maplegrove roads. Henry Ford says they are contacting patients for rescheduling as necessary. 

An authority at Beaumont Medical Center in West Bloomfield says services there may be affected on Tuesday. Call to confirm appointments scheduled there today. 

You can see a list of what schools are closed in Oakland County Tuesday here.

WHAT IS A BOIL WATER ADVISORY?

A boil water advisory means you must bring all water to a boil for at least one minute and then let it cool before using it. People also may see low water pressure or discoloration.

Boiled, bottled or disinfected water needs to be used for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth, and preparing food until further notice. During this time, pets should also only drink boiled water that has been cooled.

The Center for Disease Control says bathing and showering is safe, but be careful not to swallow any water. Use caution if you are bathing babies and young children in the water. Consider giving them a sponge bath to reduce the chance of them swallowing water. 

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? 

A water main break happened at approximately 5:45 p.m. Monday on 14 Mile Road between Farmington and Drake.

The Great Lakes Water Authority says it experienced a failure of a 48-inch diameter water transmission pipe that serves customers in the western part of Oakland County.

WHEN WILL IT BE FIXED? 

The Great Lakes Water Authority says the team, at best, believes it can have a replacement piece of pipe installed by Wednesday night. Once that is completed, two rounds of water quality testing will need to be done before the boil water advisory will be lifted. 

That means, right now, the earliest estimate for lifting the current boil water advisory is late Friday evening, October 27, according to the Great Lakes Water Authority. 

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