Boil water advisories lifted for Oakland County communities after water main break; Businesses work to recover

Boil water advisories have been lifted for the Oakland County, Michigan, communities impacted by the water main break that happened in Auburn Hills earlier this month, the Great Lakes Water Authority said Saturday.

The restrictions ended for Orion Township, the Village of Lake Orion, the northern portion of Auburn Hills, the northwest corner of Rochester Hills and for all residents in Oakland Township who were impacted, according to the agency. The move comes after water quality testing on the agency's system and local systems came back clear. 

Oakland County officials say homeowners who were under an advisory now need to flush their water, clean and flush appliances that use water, clean their hot water tanks and replace water filters throughout the home. Learn more about how to complete each action here.

The break on the agency's 42-inch water transmission main happened around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, officials said. Crews had been monitoring it after discovering a leak on May 6. The broken section was removed early Monday and replaced on Tuesday. 

Suzanne Coffey, CEO of the agency, said the pipe was about 50 years old, breaking well before its expected 100-year lifespan. 

Residents in impacted communities were asked to restrict water usage while crews made the repair. The agency said its three water trucks gave out 31,700 gallons of water to affected residents.

According to Coffey, the agency doesn't expect people impacted or businesses to receive credits or reimbursement, though some communities may explore local options.

Local businesses working to recover

The annual Art and Flower Fair in Lake Orion, Michigan, could not come at a better time.

"We love our city. The more people that can come down here and see what we do, we are super excited to showcase our events," Sharon Bosley, owner of Bitter Tom's Distillery, said.

The water main break shut down businesses on one of the busiest days of the season, especially for restaurants like Bitter Tom's Distillery.

"It's 400 reservations that we had, so we had a lot of food. It probably generates about $15,000 just for Mother's Day, and quite honestly, it hasn't been back yet," Bosley said.

Downtown Lake Orion was like a ghost town.

"It was so weird. There were no cars. It was almost like COVID times. There was nobody downtown, so it was very, very sad for all the restaurants and coffee shops locally," Jennifer Meier, owner of Green Hippo Gifts, said.

Business owners say even when the water restrictions were lifted on Wednesday, people were still slow to come downtown. They're hoping the fair will help them make up the deficit from this past week.

"Unfortunately, the first day we wound up opening was actually Wednesday. We gave it another day to cushion, but we wound up doing nothing as a business and the downtown was very quiet that day," Annalise Costantino, owner of Boutique Chic, said.

Costantino said the fair, which is a fundraiser for the Orion Art Center, will get the cash registers ringing again. 

"Whether you have a $0 day or even, you know, 50% less than what you were supposed to be doing, that winds up getting then trickled into the rest of your month," Costantino said.

Bosley added, "We're hoping. It's starting to look positive. I don't know if it's going to make up, but it surely will help us get back on the right road," Bosley said.

The Art and Flower Fair continues on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.