Michigan hospitals cancel elective surgeries after water main break
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. -- Two hospitals are canceling elective surgeries and procedures due to a water emergency following a water main break in suburban Detroit.
Providence Park Hospital in Novi says ambulances were being rerouted on Tuesday morning away from the hospital. Some patients were being transferred to Providence Hospital in Southfield.
Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital said in a statement on its website that it has no water service and its clinics are closed for the day.
The 48-inch water main break, which took place on Monday night in Farmington Hills, prompted a boil water advisory for about a dozen communities in the area. The affected communities include parts or all of Bloomfield Township, Commerce Township, Farmington Hills, Keego Harbor, Oakland Township, Orchard Lake, Novi, Novi Township, Rochester Hills, Wixom, West Bloomfield Township and Walled Lake.
The Great Lakes Water Authority says residents may see low water pressure or discoloration in the affected areas.
According to CBS Detroit, residents should not drink the water without boiling it for at least one minute and letting it cool down.
Crews are working to repair the water main break and says it's hoping to have the pipe back in operation this week.
"We hope to be able to boost pressures, hopefully by late Wednesday, early Thursday," Great Lakes Water Authority spokeswoman Sheryl Porter said. "That's if everything works very smoothly. But with these situations, I can never tell if it's going to be smooth or not."
Authorities say the advisory could remain in effect until Thursday or Friday.