Governor declares state of emergency following water main break in Auburn Hills

ROCHESTER HILLS — Various Oakland County communities are wrestling with little-to-no water service after a 42-inch water transmission main burst in Auburn Hills May 10.

The Great Lakes Water Authority said it discovered the water main was leaking May 6.

Water authority crews would typically isolate a break and begin repair immediately, but in this case, water authority CEO Suzanne Coffey said, isolating the leak would have caused complete loss of water within hours to all of Orion Township and part of Auburn Hills. 

“In this case (the leak) was in a single part of the system, at the end of the system, so when we isolate to repair the break, it instantly makes Orion Township and the northern part of Auburn Hills out of water,” she said. 

The water authority was working with the communities to temporarily reroute the water supply when the water main broke. 

“We really wanted to see if that leak would stay stable enough for us to have a plan so people weren’t out of water at all,” Coffey said.

A few hours after the break, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for the area.

“We are activating all available state resources to help support impacted communities, restore water service as quickly as possible, and ensure Michiganders have access to safe drinking water,” Whitmer said in a prepared statement. “I appreciate the swift response from emergency personnel, local officials, and utility crews actively working to address this situation.”

At press time, officials said the water authority’s field service crews and emergency contractors had removed the water from the break site, excavated down to the damaged pipe, removed it, and were working to install the replacement.

“The people who are working on the break are working as fast as they can,” Coffey said.

In the meantime, businesses and residents of Orion Township, Lake Orion, Rochester Hills, and the northern section of Auburn Hills have been instructed to restrict water use to only that which is absolutely essential — for drinking and basic sanitation. Residents were asked not to run dishwashers, washing machines or to water their lawns. 

“We understand this is an incredible challenge. To say it’s a burden or inconvenience just doesn’t give it the magnitude it deserves,” Coffey said. 

Once the pipe is replaced, officials said, it will be filled, disinfected and flushed. Water quality samples will need to pass testing before the water main can return to service. The affected communities will then need to fill and flush their systems and conduct their own water quality sampling.

“We do have to disinfect and sample, and those things take a while, so we are working with our partners at the state to see what we can do to crunch that down,” Coffey said. “Perhaps to get water just for sanitary services, even if it’s a boil water advisory, because that’s the most important piece, flushing toilets.” 

There is no firm estimate of when water service will be restored. Residents and businesses in the affected areas should be prepared to be out of water, or under a boil water advisory, for at least 14 days. 

In the meantime, the water authority is sending its three water trucks to the most impacted communities — Auburn Hills, Lake Orion and Orion Township — to provide residents with 1-gallon containers of water. These trucks are capable of providing 2,000 1-gallon containers each trip.

In the Post’s coverage area, Rochester Hills residents and Oakland Township residents in the Dutton, Adams, Brewster area who are connected to the Rochester Hills water system are affected by the break. Rochester residents and Oakland Township residents served by the community well are not affected. 

In Rochester Hills, spokesman Nathan Mueller said the city set up its own water distribution site to assist those affected by the boil water advisory in the parking lot at Van Maur in the Village of Rochester Hills, 400 N. Adams Road. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Residents can get one case of water per person in the household with a maximum of six cases per day per family. Mueller expects the boil water advisory will be in effect until the emergency is lifted.

“It just doesn’t make sense to take it off because our pressures are so volatile,” he said.

Boil water advisories are issued when there is known contamination of the water supply or when there is a risk of contamination of the water supply. Health officials say the best way to disinfect water so that it is safe to drink is by boiling it for one minute, which kills harmful bacteria, viruses and parasites. The boiled water should cool for 15 minutes and can then be stored in a container with a cover to be used for drinking.

Mueller confirmed that the city experienced a drop in its water system, but he said that Rochester Hills has since been able to get the pressure back up.

“Our residents have been awesome, in terms of the water restrictions that we’ve asked people to (follow). We’ve seen the impact of that,” he said.

While Orion Township has one line that feeds water into its system, Mueller said because the city has various lines coming in, it has been able to “feed” its system and push water to the north end.

“In Rochester Hills, we’re thinking about our friends and neighbors in Orion Township and Auburn Hills that are in a far dire situation than we face,” he said.

For the most updated information, visit glwater.org, rochesterhills.org or call the city of Rochester Hills at (248) 656-4600.