Novi residents voice concerns as boil water advisory remains amid water main repairs
A boil water advisory continues in Novi and Walled Lake after a major water main break over the weekend. And frustrated residents, business owners, and leaders in Novi got to hear directly from the Great Lakes Water Authority on Monday.
"I want to start by apologizing to you and your residents and to your businesses. This is not the level of service you deserve. This is not the level of service you expect, rightfully so, and it's not the level of service we expect to provide to our customers," said GLWA CEO Suzanne Coffey.
Coffey took full responsibility during the Novi City Council meeting as residents deal with a boil water advisory, less than a year after an advisory was issued in September 2025 for a similar matter. In that case, a 42-inch water main broke on 14 Mile Road, impacting residents in Novi, Walled Lake and Commerce Township.
This past weekend, a 48-inch water main in the area of 14 Mile Road and Verona Street bursts early Saturday on the border of West Bloomfield and Farmington Hills.
Dan Tollis has lived in Novi for over 30 years and came to Monday's city council meeting. He told CBS News Detroit that what he's been dealing with.
"Can't drink the water, of course, have to go buy gallons of water, have to boil water if you're going to cook. Basically, we just eat food that doesn't need water for preparation. We can't shower," Tollis said.
Some residents addressed the GLWA directly, with many of the complaints stemming from what they're saying has been a consistent problem.
"[The years] 2017, 2021, 2025 two times, and then 2026, we had either low water or water outages," said Vinit Gupta.
While Novi Mayor Justin Fischer said, "The frequency of what is going on to me is now on the verge of an emergency at this point."
Every member of the Novi City Council addressed Coffey with questions. Councilmember David Staudt was frustrated that the organization hadn't done more, asking the state for money to fix or replace the pipes that keep impacting the city.
"When water and sewer is failing regularly, there is no excuse; money is not the excuse," said Staudt.
Coffey says that the reason Novi is consistently influenced more than other areas locally is because of the pipes themselves that the GLWA inherited, and now every option is on the table to address the problem.
"It's not related to where are the pipes, this is related to the integrity of the pipes," said Coffey.
GLWA says it hopes to have the boil water advisory in Novi lifted by Wednesday.
