FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Today, the Great Lakes Water Authority will provide an update on it's plans to address the 48-inch water transmission main that runs along 14 Mile Road in Oakland County.
This water main has been broken multiple times in the last couple years, leaving neighbors who live there without water for days.
Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's report below
Water main breaks are something people who live in Oakland County are unfortunately getting used to. Back in September of 2025, there was a water main break just west of M-5 on 14 Mile in Novi. Then in March, the pipe that GLWA is discussing today broke east of M-5 near 14 Mile and Drake in Farmington Hills. And most recently in May, a water main broke in Auburn Hills.
Watch our previous coverage
But this isn't the first time Great Lakes Water Authorrity has made an effort to repair this exact pipe. In 2021, after another break, the water authority said they were making improvements, adding 50 years to its service life.
GLWA plans to provide an update this morning on the massive 48-inch water main in Oakland County, and how the infrastructure plans to be improved. I was actually there speaking to residents and seeing the damage firsthand when the 14 mile transmission main burst in between Drake and Farmington Roads back in March. Cars were stranded, homes were flooded and residents remained under Boil Water Advisories for days.
Back then, I spoke to GLWA CEO Suzanne Coffey about a possible cause and it appeared it was due to a power disruption at a pumping station. But she called the failure "unacceptable", saying the infrastructure is actually not that old, and shouldn't be experiencing some of these failures.
Today, Coffey, as well as other officials, are announcing their plans to strengthen the reliability of the regional water system and reduce the risk of these water main failures.
"This is GLWA's responsibility," Coffey said back in March. "I apologize to those residents. I can't say that enough. We take this very seriously and this repeated... Unprecedented number of water main breaks that are now putting people out of water for long periods of time, we've got to do things differently."
That press conference will be held right in front of Farmington Hills city hall at 11 a.m. We will be in attendance, and will bring you the latest later today.
