GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The City of Grand Rapids has lifted a boil water advisory after three days, city officials announced Wednesday.
Crews have flushed the water system and completed the required testing and sampling of the water to make sure it's safe.
Around 20,000 Grand Rapids residents were affected by the outage.
Water issues were first reported around 2 p.m. Sunday. Some people noticed their water pressure wasn't normal, while others had no water at all. The city says a water main break caused the problem and issued a boil water advisory.
The advisory covers homes and businesses east of US-131 and north of Hall Street, both in the City of Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Township.
Crews have since been working to correct the issue. You may see fire hydrants throughout the northeast side of the city pumping water as they work to flush the system.
The issues caused some businesses to close abruptly on Sunday, like Celebration Cinema North and Frederik Meijer Gardens. Grand Rapids Public Schools closed all 22 schools in the area on Monday and Tuesday.
Grand Rapids city officials say despite the outage, that three-day period will still appear on your water bill.
After the announcement Wednesday, residents no longer have to boil water for drinking, eating and cleaning. But there are still steps you must take to ensure your water is safe.
First, you should flush plumbing, pipes and faucets both outside and inside your home. Here's how to do that:
- 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.
Next, check appliances and devices for any contamination. Here's how to do that, according to the city:
- 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.
“When times are tough, the true character of our city shines through and Grand Rapidians always shine bright. I can’t thank our residents enough for their patience as our Water Department and City employees worked day and night to restore our water system," said Mayor Rosalynn Bliss.
If you have more question or need to report a water/sewer emergency, you're asked to call the city at 616-456-3000 or 311.
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