OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Crews replaced a broken 42-inch water main in Auburn Hills on Monday, moving the area closer to restoring service after days of water restrictions across parts of Oakland County.
The Great Lakes Water Authority said emergency crews cut through the damaged pipe about 3:15 a.m. and removed it around 4 a.m.
Crews laid a gravel foundation and craned a replacement segment into River Woods Park about 11:15 a.m.
Workers then began welding the steel joints to connect the new section to the existing line.
Once welding is complete, the system must be filled, pressure-tested, and disinfected before normal operations can resume. GLWA said installation was targeted to be finished Monday night.
The break has forced residents in Orion Township, the village of Lake Orion, Rochester Hills, and Auburn Hills to limit water use to hydration and basic sanitation.
GLWA urged people not to run dishwashers or washing machines and to avoid lawn watering during the emergency.
In Lake Orion, residents lined up throughout the day at Atwater Park to pick up cases of bottled water as volunteers helped staff distribution sites.
“No showers, no laundry, doing dishes in a bucket,” said Amanda Prince, a Lake Orion resident, describing how her household is coping.
“It’s been crazy. I have pets, I have just everything,” said Delaney Tunney, also of Lake Orion. “I was actually supposed to do laundry yesterday, and I can’t because now the laundromats around here aren’t open.”
GLWA deployed three water trucks to distribute one-gallon containers of water daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Wildwood Amphitheater in Orion Township, the Auburn Hills Department of Public Works, and Atwater Park in Lake Orion.
On Sunday, the trucks distributed about 7,000 gallons of water across the three locations, GLWA said.
Sophia Bahu, one of the volunteers helping with distribution, said community members wanted to step up as the disruptions spread.
“We see how everybody’s affected by this water crisis, and we want to be out here, make sure that we help everybody out and do our part as members of the community,” Bahu said.
The ripple effects have reached agencies beyond the immediate service area.
HOPE Shelters, the only emergency shelter for adults in Oakland County, said some meal support has been interrupted because community groups and churches that typically provide daily meals have been constrained by the water restrictions.
“It started with tonight, but we started getting the calls yesterday, and people are saying we just can’t do it right now,” said Elizabeth Kelly, interim executive director of HOPE Shelters. “They tend to bring cases of water with them and things like this, none of that’s available.”
The Pontiac-based shelter is not directly affected by the water main break, but it relies on outside partners to keep meals going.
Kelly said the shelter has emergency food supplies but is seeking additional organizations to host meals.
Organizations can sign up to host a meal on the HOPE Shelters website.
“I’ll be making other calls around, too, to some of our food partners, the food distributors, to see what we can have,” Kelly said, noting that some food sources include restaurants in the impacted area.
Orion Township posted another update Monday evening.
Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett said a new temporary business restriction order will ease some limits, allowing some businesses, including restaurants, to open immediately.
Other businesses, including car washes, must remain closed, and restrictions could change if conditions worsen, he said.
Barnett said the Orion Township water tower was holding steady at about 30 feet.
Orion Township officials and GLWA are scheduled to hold another press conference at 11 a.m. Tuesday.