Orion Township declares state of emergency as precaution amid water main leak
Orion Township, Michigan, has declared a state of emergency as a precaution as crews work to address a water main leak in a neighboring community, officials said Saturday.
The Great Lakes Water Authority said it discovered the leak on its 42-inch water transmission main in River Woods Park, located in Auburn Hills, Michigan, on Wednesday.
Officials in Orion Township, who cited the regional agency, said in a Facebook post that the leak was stable on Saturday afternoon and residents were encouraged to use water as normal. However, if the pipe on the main breaks, Orion Township, the Village of Lake Orion and the northern part of Auburn Hills would likely be without water "for some period of time" and Rochester Hills would be under a boil water advisory, according to the agency.
The state of emergency declaration allows officials in Orion Township, if needed, to secure county and state resources.
Since discovering the leak, the agency said it has been working with city officials in surrounding communities to develop responses to two different scenarios.
If the leak remains stable, the agency said crews would use a temporary pump station to bypass the break and reroute water from other parts of the system to allow flow to Auburn Hills and Orion Township, the agency said. The move would allow for the leak to be repaired.
Boil water advisories would likely be issued in Orion Township, the Village of Lake Orion and the northern part of Auburn Hills if the temporary pump station is put in place "due to a drop in pressure caused by the required connection to the bypass," the agency said.
If the pipe on the main breaks before the repair can be completed, crews would isolate necessary valves in the system and replace the broken section as soon as possible after it happens, according to the agency.
"Emergency repair contractors have been mobilized to the site with equipment and a replacement section of pipe," the agency said.
The agency added that it has three water trucks ready to provide the resource in the event of a break and Orion Township officials said multiple emergency water stations would be set up.
"We are working it diligently," Suzanne Coffey, CEO of the Great Lakes Water Authority, said on Saturday. "So, when I say in the clear, I think this is gonna be at least two weeks that we're going to be going through this. Perhaps longer."
A timeline to implement the repair scenario is being finalized and will be shared "early next week," according to the agency.
A boil water advisory was in place from Wednesday to Friday in part of Rochester Hills and Oakland Township as a result of the leak.
Coffey is urging residents to make sure they are enrolled in their city's notification system so they can get the latest updates on the leak.
Learn how to create an emergency water supply from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention here.