WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — A water usage advisory remains active in Washington Township for the next 24 hours after a sewer pipe rupture.
Officials say it happened Tuesday night on Hayes Road between 25 and 26 Mile roads, where the pipe is buried in Macomb Township.
Previous coverage: Sewage break prompts public health advisory in Washington Township
Residents have been asked to reduce their water usage while the new pipe makes its way from West Michigan.
Thursday afternoon, Karen Bucholtz and her husband Art played their weekly game of Hand and Foot at the Washington Township Hall. 7 News Detroit spoke with them about the advisory.
"Last evening, they sent a email out and we read it and it said not to use excessive water, not to use your washing machine if possible or your dishwasher," Art Bucholtz said.
Karen Bucholtz added, "He's my dishwasher. So, I didn't have to worry about my dishwasher."
Fred Murem, owner of FDM Contracting, said the advisory is crucial for crews to get to the bottom of things.
"The more water that comes down here, the harder it is for us to repair," Murem told 7 News Detroit.
Since Wednesday, he said crews have continued pumping the sewage from the hole, transporting it and dumping it into the sewer.
They're waiting for the new pipe to arrive from Grand Rapids.
VIDEO: Chopper 7 captures crews working to fix the sewage break
"And that should be installed hopefully this evening. So, we were hoping for tonight. Realistically, probably tomorrow it will be fixed," Washington Township Dupervisor Sam Previti said.
He said seepage into the Clinton River has stopped and that local and state agencies are running tests.
"We just got back some initial results. There is some E. coli. It's still at a low level. There are some pockets of higher levels, so we're supposed to get another report in about another hour. They're testing it again to see if it's helping," Previti explained.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy said in a statement to 7 News Detroit:
"E. coli sample results from yesterday in the Clinton River found counts much higher near the break and about a mile downstream than upstream from the break."
While the cause of the break is under investigation, Previti believes it's a combination of age and extreme temperatures going up and down.
"This spring when the snow is gone, I want to investigate the rest of the 3 miles (of pipe) to make sure this doesn't happen again," he said.
