Boiling water advisory likely to last a week
By Barb Pert Templeton
A water main break that shutdown service to Harsens Island has been repaired but officials had to put a boil water advisory in place in case of bacteria in the lines.
“The pipe has been repaired and there’s water flowing to the island but there is a boil water alert until further notice,” Justin Westmiller, the director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for St. Clair County, said in a phone interview on Dec. 17.
Ballard Underwater Construction was hired to repair the pipe line in the St. Clair River.
Westmiller said the team went into the river to scout out and assess the situation on Friday, Dec. 13 and found the problem. They returned to the water on both Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 14 and 15 and made the necessary repairs and water was flowing to the island by 11 p.m. on Sunday night.
The repair was done in water that was over six foot in depth and 25 pounds of air pressure was utilized to find the problem. Westmiller added that the site of the incident fell about 100 feet from the shore of the island.
“A patch was placed on the pipe, one that is expected to be permanent,” he added.
The good news was that the repair crew had instruments that could see right inside the pipe and the structure was sound so the pipe was likely struck by an object causing the damage.
The specific water line that failed was installed in 1978 and is the only line of its kind in the St. Clair River.
Some 600 homes and businesses on the island were impacted by the water break and counting businesses, home owners and visitors, between 1,500 and 2,000 people were affected by the issue.
At the time of the incident on Dec. 13, Clay Township declared a state-of-emergency to ensure they would get additional assistance from the state.
The break was reported just after midnight on Dec. 13 and after some testing, it was determined that the water pipeline damage was in the north channel. Connectors to the mainland were then turned off so Algonac and Clay Township residences were not affected.
Boil water alert
A press release on the Clay Township website stated that due to the underwater water main break, bacteria may be present in the water system of Harsens Island. Corrective measures are currently being undertaken to correct the situation. When water pressure is restored, customers need to flush their plumbing and appliances. Air, discolored water, and chlorine smell can be expected at customer taps until the flushing procedures are complete.
Due to the underwater main break, bacteria may be present in the water system on Harsens Island. orrective measures are currently being undertaken to correct the situation. When water pressure is restored customers need to flush their plumbing and appliances. Air, discolored water, and chlorine smell can be expected at customer taps until the flushing procedures are complete.
DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and preparing food. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Continue using boiled or bottled water until further notice.
People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at increased risk. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1 (800) 426-4791.
These precautionary actions are being taken due to the water main break. Whenever a water system loses pressure for any significant length of time, precautionary measures are recommended.
The staff are working to get pressure restored, and water staff will be taking other remedial actions such as flushing, disinfecting, and collecting samples from the system. The samples will be collected to verify the water quality meets state drinking water standards. We will inform you when you no longer need to boil your water. Due to the several corrective actions required, we anticipate the advisory to be in effect for at least one week.
This boil water notice shall remain in effect until results from the sampling verify the water meets drinking water standards. Customers will be advised when the boil water advisory has been lifted.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
If you have questions or need to report water quality problems, you may call the Water Department, Clay Township, at 810-794-3475, or the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) at 586-504-7163.
