Michigan Residents Told To Boil Drinking Water Amid Potential Contamination

Over 150,000 Michigan locals have been warned to boil their tap water before consuming it.

This comes as a result of a leak in a 36-inch water mains pipe in Macomb County on Tuesday morning, resulting in a "large drop in water pressure" and the flooding of nearby roads and fields.

This boil water advisory applies to four Macomb County communities and one Oakland County city, and is expected to stay in place until Thursday at the earliest, according to a statement from the Great Lakes Water Authority.

The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) warned locals in the affected areas to boil their water for at least one minute before leaving it to cool. This should be done for water used for drinking, making ice, dishwashing, food preparation and teeth brushing.

This is because when water systems lose pressure, as it has in Macomb, bacteria may be able to contaminate the water system via small cracks in the pipes that allow groundwater to seep into the water system once the pressure drops. Although this only happens in rare cases, drinking water from the tap after a pressure loss may cause illness. Boiling the water first will sterilize the bacteria and other organisms present.

Pathogens that may be present in the groundwater include E.coli, fecal streptococci and enterococci, among others. E.coli symptoms include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting, the CDC explains.

The advisory led many to flock to stores to stock up on bottled water.

"I have heard all the local stores have run dry," said Macomb Township Supervisor Frank Viviano told local news Macomb Daily. "That always happen [sic] when there's a lack of water. People go out buying what they think they'll need to get by for a few days."

The advisory is estimated to stay in place until Thursday at the earliest, as two rounds of water quality testing are required, and each test must be 24 hours apart.

"The soonest the boil water advisory could be lifted by GLWA is 48 hours from when the first test is taken," the GLWA said in the statement. "GLWA will notify all impacted communities once the water is determined to be safe to drink."

The exact reason for the leak is unknown, but officials say is a prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) that was first put into service in 1973. The leak itself was mended after a few hours, and water pressure was restored after switching the water flow to a 42-inch transmission main, but locals are advised to wait for testing to be complete before returning to using the water as usual.

The leak has also led to flooding, drowning the local golf course, as well as causing the closure of several roads.

"Here it is, summer construction season and we've added two new closures," Viviano said. "People are going to have practice a little more patience than normal while driving around here."

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