Farmington Hills – Crews in Farmington Hills spent more than 12 hours Saturday working to repair a large water main break on 14 Mile Road at Verona, which left some basements flooded, cars partially submerged and several residents needing assistance getting out of the water.
The break was discovered around 4:30 a.m., according to the Farmington Hills Fire Department. At the height of the incident, floodwaters stretched for at least a block.
Jason Olszewski, the deputy fire chief for Farmington Hills, said during a virtual news conference with the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) that their dispatch center began receiving calls early Saturday from people trapped in their vehicles by rising water.
“Upon arrival, we found a few cars in the water that was a result of the break,” Olszewski said. “Farmington Hills Police and Fire along with West Bloomfield Police and Fire responded to these calls for service.”
He said four people were helped out of the affected area and a few homes had damage to their basements, but he didn’t provide an exact number.
Suzanne Coffey, the chief executive officer for the Great Lakes Water Authority, said the 48-inch pipe that broke impacted the communities of Farmington Hills, Novi, Walled Lake, Wixom, Commerce Township and West Bloomfield Township.
Walled Lake and a portion of Novi are under a boil water advisory.
GLWA leaders said they are still working to determine the exact cause of the break, but indicated a power disruption at one of the authority’s pumping stations may have played a role.
They also said the 48-inch pipe that failed dates back to the 1970s and is a Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe.
Local 4 also spoke to residents in the area about the break, and some said this wasn’t the first time they have dealt with an issue on this line, something Coffey addressed.
“We have had multiple breaks on this pipe,” Coffey said. “So we can’t with any certainty, {say} that we will never have these issues again, but we can tell you that we’re working hard to get into these pipes and look at them and inspect them and see which ones are most vulnerable and try to get ahead of them.”
And officials weren’t able to give a time of when they’ll be done in the area, but they will continue to provide updates. Those can be found on their social media pages
They also mentioned if you are in an affected area and don’t have low pressure, if you could restrict your water usage, that would be appreciated.