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DWSD briefs council on water‑main breaks, prioritization and hotline during extreme cold
Summary
Deputy Director Sam Smalley told council crews are repairing frequent cold‑weather breaks, fewer than 1% of hydrants are out of service, and the public should report outages at (313) 267‑8000 or via ImproveDetroit; bottled water deliveries and prioritization for customers without water were described.
The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) told City Council that extreme cold has stressed older infrastructure across the city and that crews are on an accelerated repair schedule.
Deputy Director Sam Smalley said the department is reallocating resources and working with partner agencies to respond to frequent water‑main breaks. “We have a number of water main breaks that we are repairing,” Smalley said, and added the department prioritizes households that are without water, major streets, hospitals and emergency facilities.
DWSD gave a reporting number for residents and council offices: “(313) 267‑8000” is monitored 24/7; the department also recommended using the ImproveDetroit app to report outages. Smalley said the utility can deliver bottled water and shut service at the street if a private valve must be shut off while an in‑home repair is made. He cautioned residents not to drive or walk through standing water and asked that council offices notify constituents to call DWSD directly for the fastest response.
Why it matters: Cold weather increases both public‑system failures and private‑plumbing bursts; Smalley said private service‑line bursts have risen and that crews are balancing hydrant maintenance with broken‑main repairs. He said DWSD employs boiler trucks to thaw frozen hydrants and that crews can thaw a frozen hydrant in about five to 10 minutes.
Next steps: DWSD said it would provide more localized updates to council offices as requests come in and investigate specific outage reports raised by members; council members asked for formal notification protocols when major breaks affect constituents.
