FLINT WATER CRISIS

Boil-water alert remains in Flint

The Detroit News

A boil-water alert Flint officials issued Tuesday remains in effect at least until bacteria testing is completed Thursday afternoon, the city said.

“A decision on whether to suspend the boil-water notice will be made once the results are in,” officials said in an update Wednesday.

The boil-water advisory was issued after a large water transmission line adjacent to Dort Highway broke Tuesday, which led to a water main break on Dupont, city officials said.

The break has since been contained, utilities administrator Michael Glasgow said in a statement Wednesday.

“The leak was completely isolated last night. Water pressures should be back at normal operating levels across the city,” he said. “Crews are still assessing the damage and starting on the actual repair of the affected water main.”

The area affected included a large swath between Clio and North Center roads.

As a precaution, city officials are warning residents to boil all filtered water for one minute then let it cool before using. Residents not using a filter are asked to flush the water for at least seven minutes before collecting to boil.

Air and loose sediment may be trapped in the water lines, but residents are urged to not flush their system through filters since that could affect performance, according to the advisory.

Flint’s lead-contamination problems trace to the city’s switch to Flint River water in April 2014 for its source of drinking water and the state’s failure to require corrosive controls. The state acknowledged the problem in October.

For information: (810) 766-7202. Tips on dealing with microbes also are available through 1-800-426-4791.