GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Late Wednesday morning the City of Grand Rapids announced that the boil water advisory impacting the city's northeast quadrant was lifted.
The boil water advisory had been in effect since Sunday and was caused by a water main break near Union and Leonard. The break resulted in a loss of water pressure for several pumping stations.
The city said the advisory was put into place because the loss of pressure could have led to bacteria and non-treated water entering the pipes.
"All of the samples that we collected, the 14 samples within our distribution system the last two days, have come back negative for any potential bacteria, and therefore we've lifted the boil water advisory," said Wayne Jernberg, the water system manager for Grand Rapids.
Although physical repairs were completed on Monday, the city had to undergo two rounds of testing to ensure the water was safe.
Results for both rounds of testing came back negative for any dangerous bacteria.
"We prepare for situations like this," Jernberg told reporters outside of the water system admin building. "We do emergency exercises to be able to make sure that our teams are able to respond in an appropriate timely manner."
Jernberg said the city will have an after-action report to discuss what potential changes could be made to the system.
"We're going to go back and look at it to see if there's some things that we can change within the system that may be able to isolate some of these transmission mains a little bit more, but we still have to be able to maintain to efficiently supply and fill our tanks in an efficient manner," said Jernburg.
He said while it's still unclear if any major changes will take place, he anticipates seeing physical change.
"There's always something that we can do for future events and operations that can make the system respond in a more robust manner, to be able to withstand some types of issues like this," said Jernburg.
The city has also continued to express thanks to those who worked to resolve the issue, along with community members who took part in providing and distributing bottled water to those impacted.
When asked if impacted residents could expect water bill credits, city officials said they do not anticipate issuing any credits, adding that everyone still had access to water, although having to boil it was an inconvenience.
The city also shared the following tips for residents after the boil water advisory:
Flush Plumbing, Pipes, and Faucets (interior and exterior)
- Unscrew and remove faucet screens/aerators and clean out any particles.
- Run cold water through your faucets and appliances with direct water connections for at least 5 minutes.
- To clear hot water pipes and the water heater of untreated water, run hot water only at all faucets and flush until the water runs cool.
- Put the screens/aerators back on the faucets.
Check Appliances/Devices
- Remove and replace all water filters, including water coolers, inline filters, and other appliances with direct water connections. The filter could be contaminated if you ran water through any filter during the boil water advisory.
- Always read and follow the owner’s manual for directions to flush and replace filters for all appliances that use water.
- Water dispensers from refrigerators should be flushed by at least one gallon of water, refer to the owner’s manual.
- Dump existing ice and flush the water feed lines, making and discarding three batches of ice cubes.
- After flushing hot water pipes and water heater, run an empty dishwasher one time on the hottest or sanitize cycle.
- Run water softener through a full regeneration cycle.
- Remove and replace filters in portable and furnace humidifiers.
Restaurants and food service facilities are asked to refer to the Kent County Health Department for requirements for operation.
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