GLWA shares plans to reduce pipe breaks

OAKLAND COUNTY — The 14 Mile water main break in Farmington Hills has caused concern throughout Oakland County. Suzanne Coffey, CEO of the Great Lakes Water Authority, addressed the West Bloomfield Board of Trustees May 11 to talk water infrastructure systems, future plans, and the anomalies of the 14 Mile pipe. 

GLWA is an independent wholesale water provider with nearly four million drinking water customers and nearly three million wastewater customers, said Coffey. It is separate and independent from the city of Detroit. 

GLWA serves eight counties on the water transmission side, with more than 800 miles of transmission mains, with five water treatment plants and 19 water boosters and reservoirs. 

In March, the 14 Mile Road transmission main broke and affected communities such as West Bloomfield, Farmington Hills, Novi, Walled Lake, Commerce Township and Wixom.  

“This pipe on 14 Mile Road has been problematic for (GLWA), and because it is problematic for us, it’s problematic for the communities we serve,” Coffey said. “We have had four breaks on this pipe.”

Although some GLWA infrastructure is old, this pipe is not, Coffey noted.  

“This is a pipe that had a 50-year life and was built in the ‘70s, but its life should be 100 years old,” she said.  “These pipes have a lifespan of 80-120 years.”

It was a surprise to GLWA when the pipe broke for the first time in 2017, and then again in 2021, 2025 and 2026. When pipes break unexpectedly, they are re-examined. The pipe may look like it’s concrete, but it is what Coffey referred to as a “highly engineered pipe” because of its multilayered composition with a wire inside.

“When this pipe ruptures, it does so in a very catastrophic way,” she said. “It’s like a river.” 

Parts of the pipe are aging prematurely. This is due to a manufacturing anomaly that has affected 4% of the pipes from the company that provided the pipe in the 1970s, Coffey explained.

And there is no way to tell which pipes are subject to premature aging, she said. The thought in the ‘70s was to replace the pipe at the end of its useful life. However, due to economic concerns, that has not been a viable option.

The GLWA has 80 miles of pipe in Oakland County. To replace just one mile would cost $20 million. To replace all every pipe would be a billion-dollar endeavor, Coffey said.

In studying the issue, the GLWA found that frequent inspections were key, using an electromagnetic tool that measures the continuity of the wire inside the pipe. The wire, in turn, determines the integrity of the pipe, which can alert engineers if there is an issue.

The pipe was examined about five years ago, finding no defects, and yet it still broke down. At times, the pipe doesn’t have to be replaced, but engineers can go inside and add a carbon fiber polymer coating that extends the life of the pipe up to 50 years. This process is called a renewal. 

 “For it to age and break in five years is very, very rare,” Coffey said. “There are only three other pipes in the world that are acting like this, and they are in Calgary, Libya and China.”

Since the inspection efforts don’t appear to be working, she believes they may have to do a wholesale replacement of the pipes.

“We have seen, as residents, our water bill increase drastically over the last year. Does that increase have anything to do with these pipes?” asked Vincent Kirkwood, a trustee of the board.

Coffey said that to bring water to the city costs less than one-third of a penny per gallon. There was a 7% increase in February, and the rate increases are below the rate of inflation.

“Is there a way to minimize downtime (for communities without water),” asked another board trustee, Micheal Patton.

Coffey said they “exercise” valves, which is turning each valve to make sure it will come on when needed. If a repair cannot be isolated, it increases the time it takes to correct. She suggests municipalities have a bypass plan in place.

“Creating redundancy in the system helps communities recover faster,” Coffey said.

This is done with a loop where communities can link to other water sources. This can be done through the local public works departments. According to Coffey, this is not a cost savings, but rather a time savings and a customer service measure.

“That loop definitely shortened the time communities were out of water this time,” she said.