Water pressure returns to Novi and Walled Lake after main break, Great Lakes Water Authority says

Water pressure has returned to Novi and Walled Lake in Michigan after a water main break early Saturday that has impacted many Oakland County residents, according to the Great Lakes Water Authority.

Water pressure in Walled Lake returned late Saturday after an emergency connection from Commerce Township, the public utility said, and CEO Suzanne Coffey confirmed to CBS News Detroit that it returned to Novi on Sunday afternoon.

As of Monday afternoon, a boil water advisory is in effect for Walled Lake and a large part of Novi, Michigan. 

The public utility said the break on a 48-inch water transmission main in the area of 14 Mile Road and Verona Street in Farmington Hills was discovered around 4:30 a.m. A power interruption at one of the organization's treatment centers created a "transient pressure wave," which is believed to have caused the break.

The City of Novi said in a Facebook post Saturday that many of its residents were without water service due to the incident. Water was "entering Novi's local system," and pressures were starting to rise late Sunday morning, according to the public utility.

A water use restriction is in place for Novi residents, according to city officials.

"Please avoid washing clothes, and keep those showers short to help reduce demand," Novi officials said on social media Sunday morning.

Coffey said crews working on the repair will cut out the broken pipe and replace it with a new one.

"This is a steel pipe, a replacement steel pipe that's going to go in place, and there's a lot of welding to do to get that in," she said.

The boil water advisory will remain in effect until "two rounds of water quality testing are completed and come back clear," according to the public utility. It's issued "if there is actually or the possibility of microbiological contamination in the drinking water system" that could make someone sick.

On Monday, crews installed a new 20-foot section of steel main. While inspecting the current break area, crews said they found an additional 20-foot section of distressed main 80 feet west of the current break and will replace it this week. 

When an advisory is declared, impacted residents should not drink or use the tap water for preparing food or brushing teeth without boiling it first, the public utility said. Water may be used for showering, baths, shaving and washing.

"We know that residents and businesses are anxious to hear the timeline for lifting of the boil water advisories," the public utility said in a news release. "Those timelines are dependent upon stabilization of pressures in the GLWA and Novi systems, which varies based on user demands."

Officials said they're hoping to lift the advisory by "mid-week."

People impacted by the water main break shared frustrations with CBS News Detroit on Saturday.

"This is the third time that main's had a problem, I think, in five or six years," Dave Spencer of Walled Lake said.

Last September, a water main break in Novi impacted homes, schools and businesses in the area. The public utility said on Wednesday that about 85% of the work to repair it had been completed.    

Coffey said she understands how Spencer and others feel.

"This is not an acceptable level of service. We know that they don't deserve it, right? It's not what they expect out of us. We didn't do anything to cause it, but it is our responsibility to do everything we can to prevent it," she said.

The pipes in this area, according to Coffey, are from the 1970s.

"This type of pipe, built in the in the decade of the 70s, about 4% from one of the manufacturers, 4% of their pipes have some defects," Coffey said.

About 16% of lines are past their useful life, the public utility said.

"Replacements weren't done years and years ago, decades ago, to just start systematically replacing all the pipes as they age out," Coffey said.

She added that it would take an additional $75 million in the public utility's budget to keep up with the aging infrastructure. 

"We're going to walk that walk and see if we can, we can figure out how to get some creative funding from the state and federal government to do these big projects," Coffey said.