Macomb County sewer main rupture: Health emergency and water restrictions
Health emergency and water restrictions after sewer main rupture:
The break happened on Hayes between 25 and 26 Mile roads in Washington Township. It was the oldest sewer main in the township.
MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - It was a rough two days for a Macomb County community after a sewer main ruptured, discharging raw sewage into the Middle Branch Clinton River.
What we know:
The break happened on Hayes between 25 and 26 Mile roads in Washington Township. It was the oldest sewer main in the township.
As a result, Macomb Township initially declared a health emergency, and Washington Township asked residents to limit their water usage.
The break was found on Wednesday, leading to Hayes being closed between 25 and 26 Mile roads while the break was repaired.
A crew from FDM Contracting shared photos of the work to excavate the pipe.
The work was rough. Luckily, an on-site pizza delivery offered fuel to get the job done sooner.
Crews are working around the clock to make the fix.
FOX 2 spoke to someone with the township, who said it’s a good thing this break happened where it did because a mile down the road, it may have impacted a school.
The biggest inconvenience is for some of the neighbors to get access to their driveways.
Jennifer Hill is the executive director of the Clinton River Watershed Council. She says this break is an opportunity to highlight the importance of investing in the Clinton River and surrounding neighborhoods.
"Over 1.5 million people live in the watershed. Of course, that means that we have a lot of infrastructure that needs to be kept up," Hill said. "That’s particularly important when you’re thinking about clean water. So it’s so critical to continue to to have investments in infrastructure."
The exact cause of the sewer main break is under investigation.
Numerous agencies, including the Macomb County Health Department, Washington Township DPW, Macomb Township DPW, and the Macomb County Drain Office, are working together to handle the problem.
What you can do:
Washington Township residents are advised to limit their water usage while crews work to repair the break. This includes shortening showers, minimizing how often you flush the toilet, and avoiding washing laundry, if possible.
Drinking water is not impacted, according to the Washington Township supervisor. Homes with septic systems are also not affected.
In addition to limiting how much water is being used, all people are advised to avoid the Clinton River until testing can be completed. This is expected to take several days.
Updates will be shared when available.
The Source: FOX 2 talked with Washington Township Supervisor Sam Previti and used information from previous stories.