FAMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) — A 48-inch water main burst early Saturday morning near 14 Mile and Drake Road on the border of West Bloomfield and Farmington Hills, sending water into streets and homes and leaving residents frustrated over what they say is a recurring problem.
Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report:
West Bloomfield resident Brenda Fields has lived in the affected area for 30 years. She said her basement took on approximately 4 to 5 feet of water after the break.
"The water heater is totally gone because they were located in the basement, and the basement had approximately four to five feet of water," Fields said.
Fields said her sofas, chairs, tables and other belongings were destroyed — floating in the floodwater. She said her insurance company is not willing to cover the costs because the water came from outside her home.
She said a pipe burst in the same area two years ago, though the damage was not nearly as severe.
The Great Lakes Water Authority, known as GLWA, has replaced the damaged pipe. CEO Suzanne Coffey says the break came as a surprise, given the pipe's relatively newer infrastructure.
Extended Interview: CEO Suzanne Coffey talks about the water main break near 14 Mile and Drake
"This pipe itself is not that old. We wouldn't have expected it to age out yet," Coffey said.
Coffey said investigators believe a power disruption at one of GLWA's water pumping stations triggered the series of events that led to the break.
"What started the series of events that caused the break, we still believe is a power disruption at one of our water pumping stations," Coffey said. "When that happens, a high pressure wave can make its way through the system."
Bill Shuster, a civil and environmental engineering professor at Wayne State University, said a sudden power restoration can overwhelm even newer pipes.
"When that power got flipped back on, poof, it was basically a very strong standing wave of water," Shuster said.
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The break is the latest in a series of failures along the area's water infrastructure. Just six months ago, another water main broke two miles from this most recent break. GLWA said it is taking full responsibility and will investigate vulnerabilities along what they call the 14 Mile transmission main.
"This is GLWA's responsibility. 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," Coffey said. "The people deserve answers. This is not the level of service they deserve. They do not deserve to have their water disrupted this many times in the short period of time."
Shuster said newer technology exists to help organizations like GLWA better assess underground infrastructure, and he said that work will be necessary going forward.
"We're trying to get better at identifying and predicting where this is gonna happen," Shuster said. "There is no easy fix here. It's going to be a very prolonged effort."
I brought Fields' insurance concerns directly to Coffey, who said residents like Fields are encouraged to reach out to their insurance companies first, then to their municipalities and then to GLWA directly for further assistance.
The pipe that burst also services water to Novi and Walled Lake. Both cities have water, though at lower pressure, and both remain under a boil water advisory as of Monday evening. Coffey said she will attend the Novi City Council meeting at 7 p.m. Monday to answer additional questions from residents.
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