Redford Twp residents hit with 14 water main breaks Wednesday

After multiple water main breaks Wednesday, Redford Township residents are reeling.

Outside their streets are streams, their yards soaked and inside, their homes have little to no H2O.

"We don't have any water pressure," said resident Tammy Andrews. "So they shut down the water to fix the main water break next door."

That main and others started breaking around 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. And within a few hours there were a total of 14 broken mains reported according to Redford police.

Township water department employees have been working to fix the problem even getting help from Livonia's public works crews.

"I hope they will get it cleared up before too long," said Barbara Lacy.

First they have to figure out what happened and right now they don't know for sure.

Redford police said a power surge at a pump at Schoolcraft and Berwyn may have caused the water main breaks.

It is unclear how soon water pressure will be back to normal.
Optimism however is flowing freely.

"I think it could be worse," Lacy said. "I'm glad I have power."

WEB EXTRA: According to Redford Twp. police, here are a few steps to take after your water is restored following a water main break or a period of water loss:

Open all of your cold water faucets and let the water run for several minutes. This will flush out the water which may have been compromised when your local water department was working on repairing the water mains.

Run a few empty cycles with your washing machine and dishwasher.

Open your hot water faucets and let them run until the water temperature is cold. This will empty your water heater. Wait an hour and repeat this process. Sediment may have built up on the bottom of your water heater. You may consider calling a plumbing professional to drain your water heater.

If you have filters on your drinking water under the kitchen sink or on the ice maker line to your freezer, and/or a whole house water filter it would be wise to change the filter.

Additional information:

If you are experiencing "brown" water in any areas near or adjacent to the main breaks do this:
1. Turn on COLD water
2. From the lowest faucet possible (think basement)
3. Do NOT do laundry
4. When water runs CLEAR you may resume regular routines
5. There is NOT a boil alert at this time.