A boil water advisory impacting an estimated 935,000 Michigan residents was issued early Saturday morning after a regional water authority discovered a water main break at its Lake Huron facility.
The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) announced the advisory as they worked to isolate a leak on a 120-inch water transmission main, according to the water authority’s social media.
Nearly 40% of Michigan’s population receives drinking water from the GLWA, and the affected water main is the largest in the regional distribution system, the Detroit Free Press reports. (RELATED: Top Michigan Court Spikes Charges Against Ex-Gov, 8 Others In Flint Water Poisoning Scandal)
Authorities cited “changing water pressure levels” and an “abundance of caution” as reason for the advisory, GLWA said in its statement. In addition to 23 communities, one business in Greenwood and another in Imlay Township were thought to be affected at the time the advisory was announced, GLWA said.
Residents were instructed to boil all water for at least one minute and use boiled, disinfected, or bottled water for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, and brushing teeth until further notice, according to the statement. Boiling water ensures any harmful bacteria or organisms present in water are killed prior to use, the advisory detailed.
GLWA is working to isolate a break on a 120-inch water transmission main that distributes finished drinking water from our Lake Huron Water Treatment Facility to communities in the northern part of GLWA’s drinking water service area. https://t.co/6GHbtiQdLj pic.twitter.com/X2z34yAUhN
— Great Lakes Water Authority (@glwatermi) August 13, 2022
The precautionary advisory was lifted for 10 communities by Saturday afternoon, according to an update posted by GLWA. Thirteen communities remain impacted, and the cause of the leak is currently under investigation, according to GLWA.