Twelve communities in Oakland County are still under a boil-water alert as repairs continue on what’s being called an “unprecedented” water main break.
Jim Nash, Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner, joined Stateside today to explain where things stand now.
He said the plan is still to test the pipe by Friday and hopefully lift the boil water alert by Friday evening.
As of yesterday, Nash said approximately 51,000 people are without water and over 300,000 are under a boil water alert.
The 48-inch water line that failed was installed in 1970 and in the middle of its service life, according to the Great Lakes Water Authority. Nash agreed, saying the pipe really wasn’t that old.
“We haven’t seen anything as to the exact cause of what happened yet,” he said. “That’s something they’ll decide once they’ve finished doing what they need to do to get service back.”
Listen to the full conversation above. You'll hear why the sewer and storm water infrastructure has “the most issues” in Oakland County and why the economically disadvantaged communities especially need help maintaining their water infrastructure.
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