Oakland County residents speak out as repairs underway following water main break

Emergency crews are working around the clock to restore clean water to multiple Metro Detroit communities following a water main break.

According to the Great Lakes Water Authority, emergency crews removed the busted pipe at 4 a.m. on Monday. As they prepare to install a new pipe, thousands of people are wondering when they will return to some normalcy.

"I feel like it's a pandemic all over again," said a resident from Rochester Hills.

Water is in demand in Oakland County. Store shelves are bare, leaving city officials rushing to fill the gap.

Rochester Hills opened a water distribution site in the village parking lot. Parts of the city are under a boil water advisory, and officials are asking residents to ration water use in the meantime.

And while they had 900 gallons to give out, it wasn't enough at first.

"Four o'clock, it was supposed to start, and by the time I got here at like 4:25 (p.m.), they were out of water," said a woman from Rochester Hills.

While residents waited for their share, another distribution site was up and running in Auburn Hills, where people in neighboring communities are worried the water will run out.

"It's kind of scary. The beginning, they said it's going to run out in a day or last night," said one mother in Auburn Hills.

As volunteers handed out over 3,000 gallons of water, residents wondered how long they would have to keep doing so.

"We can send a man to the moon, but we can't fix our water structure," said one Oakland County man.

GLWA is planning to have the replacement pipe installed by Monday night.

And while the pipe is being tested and disinfected, residents will have to continue going the extra mile to complete simple but necessary tasks.