Watch CBS News

Detroit Boil Water Advisory Lifted After Tests Come Back Clear

DETROIT (WWJ) - Drink up! The boil water advisory for Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park has been lifted.

According to the Great Lakes Water Authority, two rounds of tests have come back clear — proving, they say, that there's nothing wrong with the water. Issued Tuesday afternoon, the advisory was expected to remain in effect until noon on Friday, but was lifted two hours early.

GLWA said an equipment malfunction Tuesday led to a low water pressure for homes and businesses. Due to a temporary drop in pressure in the water supply, bacterial contamination may have occurred in the water system.

The advisory covered a large are of Detroit: McNichols south to the Detroit River, and Linwood east to Conner. This included downtown Detroit and the campus of Wayne State University, along with the entire cities of Highland Park and Hamtramck.

While dozens of Detroit schools were closed as a result, and numerous local business were affected, no illnesses have been reported.

Meantime, Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones is not happy with the way the whole thing was handled.

"It is really a serious issue, especially when you look at what has happened in Flint," Jones said.

"And that's the first thing that comes to people's minds, when you say boil the water — the Flint situation," she added, refreshing the crisis involving lead in the water in Flint.

"When you talk about an issue like this, you have to make sure that there is good PR and that the message is going across to the citizens," she added.

Gary Brown, head of the Detroit Department of Water and Sewerage says he will be at the table to discuss the issue with council members. Talking to WWJ's Vickie Thomas, he acknowledged that communication about the boil water alert could have been better, but he stressed that at no point was there any evidence that the water was contaminated.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.