Officials: Oakland County water main pressure restored; residents still under boil advisory

FOX 2 - There are no longer water restrictions in Auburn Hills, Orion Township, the village of  Lake Orion and Rochester Hills.

But Orion Township supervisor Chris Barnett added that residents should not drink the water yet with boil water advisories in effect.

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The boil water advisory is expected to continue through the weekend. Water is still being distributed at Von Mauer for impacted residents. 

Barnett said that GLWA's work to repair the water main with a new 42-inch pipe is completed and that the timeline has been exceeded. 

Emergency water restrictions have been lifted, officials said.

Susan Coffey, the head of GLWA, said five different agencies came together to reverse (the water operations) which had to be done for the emergency, which is now completed - which she called a milestone. 

"As of now GLWA's water is flowing through typical, normal operations through that 42-inch pipe through the communities – and the communities' connections are open," she said. "Our team did just a phenomenal job."

Barnett said residents in the affected areas can now do anything they want with water.

"You can shower, wash your car, wash your car twice," he quipped. "And take two showers and do your laundry. I'm sorry you have to do dishes again.  We are back to zero restrictions.

"All of our businesses will be fully operational but with one giant caveat — you cannot drink or consume your water from the tap." 

Related: Stellantis operations to resume Thursday after water main break stoppage

Coffey had previously said the replacement pipe was welded into place by 6 p.m. Monday, and the pipe was full and back to normal pressure by 2 a.m. Tuesday.

The next step is for water sampling and bacterial analysis to take place. Coffey said this could happen as soon as Sunday or Monday, but there is no definitive timeline.

Barnett said that residents in those communities should expect to see crews flushing fire hydrants and other utilities.

"You might see sediment, discoloration of water which is completely normal," Barnett said. "You shouldn't drink it until we tell you, but that is completely normal."

There will be FAQ answers provided for how residents can properly clean sink aerators and flush the water in their house, Barnett added.

Thousands of residents have been under boil water advisories and strict water use restrictions.

Related: Oakland County water main break: Who is affected by broken main in Auburn Hills

As crews continue repairs, residents have been lining up at emergency distribution sites for bottled water and other supplies.

With people getting off work, the lines at Atwater Park in Lake Orion have led to thousands of gallons of water being distributed.

The water main break is affecting businesses in several Oakland County communities — one industry really feeling the pinch is restaurants.

While the water main has been replaced at this point — systems need to be flushed, pressure needs to be restored and it’s really a case-by-case basis depending on the community.

More: Auburn Hills water main break: Where impacted residents can get water

FOX 2 visited both Auburn Hills and downtown Lake Orion — talking to pizza places that missed out on Mother’s Day sales — one of the biggest days for restaurants.

Now they’re trying to figure out what to do and how to operate — because some do have water and have brought water in from the outside.