Three Oaks issues boil order after water main break; five coliform samples found

A water main break while crews were changing filter media prompted a boil order and extended testing in Three Oaks, village officials said at the council meeting on Sept. 11.

Village Manager Dan Faulkner and water/sewer employee Joe Fender told the council that a water hammer during the filter-media change forced three holes into the main west of Sherwood and south of Locust. Crews shut three valves to slow flow, repaired the main, flushed hydrants and began routine bacteria sampling. Faulkner said the plant had an isolated filter that tested positive and was then taken out of service.

"We flushed and flushed," Faulkner said, describing the immediate response. Joe Fender said the village verified the well water was clean. "The well is clean," Fender said, adding that the first check was to ensure the system was being flushed with clean water.

Officials reported five positive bacteria coliform samples but emphasized the tests did not detect E. coli. Faulkner said that if samples had shown E. coli, the state response would be different — including door-to-door notifications and tagging affected homes — but the current positive results are an indicator that "something is not right" in the distribution system rather than confirmation of E. coli contamination.

Faulkner told the council the village followed State of Michigan procedures for notification: posting results on the village website and Facebook page, publishing in Harbor Country News, broadcasting on Radio Harbor Country, and placing postings at local businesses. "We will be posting an update on Facebook after this council meeting," Village President Richard Smith said.

Faulkner said the village was focusing outreach on elderly residents and people with weakened immune systems and asked the public to notify the office about anyone in that condition. He also said the village is looking into a mass-texting notification system, at an estimated cost of about $2,300 a year, to speed communications in future incidents.

Testing continued after the meeting: Faulkner said additional hydrant flushing produced negative tests upstream of the break and routine sampling sites produced negative results. The second required sample was submitted on Sept. 11, and officials expected at least two more days of testing. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) will perform a full assessment; Faulkner said any state guidance and test results will be posted on the village website and Facebook and that residents may call the village office with questions.

Fender addressed public concern about illness: "I have gotten a lot of emergency calls with questions, but no reports of sickness," he said, adding that most coliform bacteria are harmless and it is unlikely people will get ill. Officials asked residents with health concerns to contact the village.

The council did not set a timeline to lift the boil order; Faulkner said the State of Michigan will ultimately decide when it can be removed.