5/10, 1:30am – GLWA Experiences Break on Leaking 42-inch Water Main in Auburn Hills’ River Woods Park

GLWA EXPERIENCES BREAK ON LEAKING 42-INCH WATER MAIN IN AUBURN HILLS’ RIVERWOOD PARK

• Break occurred at approximately 1:30XX a.m. on May 10, 2026
• GLWA Field Service Crews are working to isolate the break so that repairs can begin
• Once the break is isolated, Orion Township, the Village of Lake Orion, and the northern section of Auburn Hills will no longer be receiving water from GLWA and depending on several factors will likely lose water entirely in a matter of hours;
• GLWA is asking the residents of Orion Township, the Village of Lake Orion, City of Rochester Hills, and the northern section of Auburn Hills to restrict water use to only that which is absolutely essential
• Additionally, a precautionary boil water advisory has been issued for the city of Rochester Hills due to the drop in pressure from the break

DETROIT – At approximately 1:30 a.m. today, the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) experienced a break on its 42-inch water transmission main located in River Woods Park in Auburn Hills. This is the same water main that was discovered to be leaking on May 6, 2026.

GLWA would typically isolate such a break and begin repair immediately, however, given the layout of the water systems in this area, immediately isolating would have caused loss of water within hours to all of Orion Township and part of Auburn Hills. Since the leak was found, GLWA has been working diligently with the communities to reroute water and to avoid this circumstance. Despite our best efforts, the water main broke before the rerouting could be completed.

GLWA Field Service crews are actively working to isolate the broken water main by closing valves to the north and south of the break area. These valves had been pre-identified and exercised as a part of the response plan that GLWA had developed with its member partner communities of Auburn Hills, Orion Township, the Village of Lake Orion, Pontiac, and Rochester Hills when the main began leaking.

Once the break is fully isolated, Orion Township, the Village of Lake Orion and the northern section of Auburn Hills will no longer be receiving water from GLWA and water pressure in these communities will begin to drop. Depending on water use, water storage, and system factors, the time until water pressure is entirely lost is unknown but is estimated to be six to 12 hours. Also, the city of Rochester Hills has been placed under a boil water advisory due to the drop in pressure created by the break.

GLWA is asking the residents of Orion Township, the Village of Lake Orion, Rochester Hills and the northern part of Auburn Hills to restrict their water usage to that which is necessary for hydration, food preparation and basic sanitation for the duration of the emergency. Please do not run dishwashers, washing machines or water your lawn at this time.

To assist the impacted communities, GLWA has sent its three water trucks to the impacted communities to provide residents with one gallon containers of water. These trucks are capable of providing 2,000 one gallon contains in each trip.

The water trucks, available as soon as possible this morning at the following locations:
Orion Township
• Wildwood Amphitheater, 2700 Joslyn Court
Auburn Hills
• Auburn Hills Department of Public Works, 1500 Brown Road
Village of Lake Orion
• Atwater Park, 426 Atwater Street

The GLWA water trucks will provide water to the impacted communities as long as the emergency water outage continues.

Because the response plan had been in place since the day the leak was discovered, GLWA’s emergency contractors have already mobilized equipment, and a replacement segment of pipe is already at the break site.

Once the break is isolated, crews can excavate the site and remove standing water so that the damaged pipe can be removed and replaced. Once the pipe has been replaced, it can then be filled, disinfected, and flushed. Water quality samples will then need to pass testing before the watermain can be returned to service. At that point, the community’s will need to fill and flush their systems and conduct their own water quality sampling.

At this time, we do not have a firm estimate of when water service will be restored, however residences and businesses should be prepared to be out of water for a minimum of 14 days.
This is a developing situation, and more information will be shared as it becomes available.

For the most updated information, please visit glwater.org, or sign up for your community’s emergency alert system. For the communities impacted by this water main break those are:
• Orion Township (CivicPlus)
o Text “OrionMI” to 38276
o Sign up online HERE
• Oakland County (OakAlert)
o Sign up online HERE
• Rochester Hills (RH Connect)
o Sign up online HERE

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About the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA)
The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) is the provider-of-choice for drinking water services to nearly 40 percent, and efficient and effective wastewater services to nearly 30 percent, of Michigan’s population. With the Great Lakes as source water, GLWA is uniquely positioned to provide those it serves with water of unquestionable quality. GLWA also has the capacity to extend its services beyond its 88 member partner communities. As part of its commitment to water affordability, the Authority offers a Water Residential Assistance Program to assist low-income households in participating member communities throughout the system. GLWA’s
board includes one representative each from Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne counties, two representatives from the city of Detroit, and one appointed by the Michigan governor to represent member partner communities outside of the tri-county area.