NOVI, Mich. (WXYZ) — Novi residents are still under a boil water advisory after a major water main break over the weekend left thousands without water for two days.
The break occurred at 14 Mile and Drake roads, near the border of Farmington Hills and West Bloomfield, causing major flooding in that area and disrupting water service to Novi residents Saturday and Sunday. The broken pipe has since been replaced and water returned to faucets Monday, but Novi and portions of Walled Lake remained under a boil water advisory over concerns about water quality.
Watch the video report below:
Water samples were taken Monday and were set to be taken again Tuesday, with hopes that the boil water advisory could be lifted for residents by Wednesday.
Great Lakes Water Authority CEO Suzanne Coffey joined Monday's Novi City Council meeting, where she faced tough questions from residents and city leaders who say there needs to be accountability after multiple major water main breaks in the last decade.
"Our system is in eight counties. It's really massive. One of our pumping stations lost power, a transformer from our utility provider when that happened. We could see a pressure wave. We do have pressure monitors wave across our network, and this pipe broke," Coffey said as she explained how the pipe burst.
Previous report: 'People deserve answers': GLWA CEO speaks on recurring water main breaks along 14 Mile
Coffey says the break came as a shock to her team as that particular pipe has been inspected multiple times in recent years with zero issues.
"We're scratching our heads about this and our consultants are too, and what we've come to is these pipes are degrading faster than anybody thought, even the experts. So we've got to think out of the box and we've got to be different," she said.
City council members pushed back, saying it was no surprise to Novi residents who say this is a very familiar problem for. The city leaders grilled Coffey, saying there have been millions of dollars in losses as a result of faulty GLWA pipes over the years. Coffey admitted they need a better contingency plan if things go south.
Coffey told council members the breaks and disruptions to service experienced in Novi may be the worst of the communities they service. She acknowledged the situation as "unique."
"I think this is the worse. I do think you’re unique. We have a lot of infrastructure in Detroit. Detroit has a lot of issues but not repeated, not on the same line of pipe," Coffey said.
"I think we need, I know we need better contingency planning for Novi."
Residents who attended the meeting called for accountability and answers.
"These mains don't just break right away. I'm sure there are signs that it's going through degradation, so what kind of monitoring and maintenance does GLWA have?" Vinit Gupta said.
"First thing, I got up in the morning, turned the faucet on in my sink and there was no pressure and I said again? This is the second time in five months," Dan Tollis said. "My question was, I did write an email to Great Lakes Water, why is this happening? Is this system under-designed? Is it old? Was there construction impact?"
Extended Interview: CEO Suzanne Coffey talks about the water main break near 14 Mile and Drake
"This has been happening way too often," Ashish Verma said.
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