Water main repairs wrap up in Madison Heights after multiple breaks on Wednesday
The cause of a series of water main breaks on Wednesday in Madison Heights, Michigan, has been confirmed and repairs were completed on Thursday.
City officials gave that report in an update to residents Thursday morning on social media, corroborating what Madison Heights Mayor Roslyn Grafstein said Wednesday.
Repairs took place Thursday morning at the water main breaks on Jennifer, Elliott and North Avis. Repairs were completed Wednesday at the water main breaks on John R, Dequindre, Stephenson, West Farnum and Lenox.
"These breaks were caused by an equipment issue at a GLWA pump station located at Hall Road and Dequindre. The malfunction led to a phenomenon known as a water hammer, which significantly increased pressure in the system, especially along the Dequindre transmission main, where we receive our water supply," the city said Thursday.
"To give you an idea of the impact: the water pressure spiked well over 100 PSI, far beyond the typical 60–70 PSI our mains are built to handle."
In response to the situation, the Great Lakes Water Authority issued this statement:
"Yesterday afternoon, GLWA experienced a momentary loss of externally supplied power to one of its transformers at its North Service Center facility, which caused several pumps at the facility to trip simultaneously.
"As a result of this power loss, which was outside of GLWA's control, we can confirm that one of Madison Heights' meters did experience a sudden increase in pressure of approximately 30psi.
"GLWA is in communication with its external power supplier and the city of Madison Heights regarding this incident.
City officials said they were notifying residents and businesses via door-to-door visits when and where water needed to be turned off.
"If you are experiencing brown/discolored water, Please run the cold water tap until the water runs clear. If the problem persists, please contact DPS at 248-589-2294," the city said.