Boil Water Information

We hand-deliver notices when fewer than 200 homes are affected. If you received a hand-delivered notice, you should boil your water until further notice.

If more than 200 homes are affected, we notify the news media and you may not receive a hand-delivered notice. In this case, if you live in the affected area and get your water from the community water supply, you should boil your water.

If you have a private well, you do not need to boil your water.

If you are not sure if your water is affected, you should boil it. You can call us at: 248-858-1555 or send us an email at wrcwater@oakgov.com. If you send an email, be sure to include your address.

During some water system repairs or replacements, the water system serving your neighborhood may have been temporarily depressurized. Whenever a water system loses pressure, there is the potential for contaminants to enter the system. By boiling water before consumption, you minimize potential health risks.

It is safe to drink after the boil water advisory has been lifted.

Yes. The water can be used for showering, baths, and shaving, but do not swallow water or allow it to get in your eyes, nose, or mouth. Supervise children and disabled individuals during their bath to make sure water is not swallowed. It’s also a good idea to minimize bathing time. Though the risk of illness is minimal, individuals who have recent surgical wounds, have compromised immune systems, or have a chronic illness may want to consider using bottled or boiled water for cleansing until the advisory is lifted. Anyone with questions or concerns should contact their healthcare provider.

No. You should use boiled water.

• Turn on your tap slowly and run the water to flush water pipes for five minutes.
• Empty your automatic ice maker completely and discard the ice made during the advisory period; then, run a few cycles of ice production and throw those batches away as well to fully flush the water line in the ice maker before using the ice again. 

Yes, it is recommended that you wash dishes by hand and use a bleach solution (1 teaspoon bleach per gallon of water. Bleach solution should say it contains 8.25% of sodium hypochlorite). Soak the rinsed dishes in the sanitizer solution for at least 1 minute. Allow dishes to completely air dry. If you use a dishwasher, you should run the dishwasher through the hottest or 'sanitize' cycle. Following the sanitizing step, use a clean basin to make a bleach solution of 1 teaspoon bleach per gallon of water. Remove the dishes from the dishwasher and soak in the sanitizer solution for at least 1 minute. Let the dishes air dry completely before using again.

The water should reach a rolling boil and boil for 1 minute.

Unless you’re making coffee, tea or some other hot drink, you should let the water stand for about 15 minutes to minimize the chance of burning yourself.

If a glass of water is a milky or cloudy color and gradually becomes clear, (from the bottom of the glass to the surface of the water) after a few minutes, that’s an indication that air is in the water. Air in the water is an aesthetic issue and not a health concern. You can address this issue by flushing your lines, starting with the outside hose bib closest to where the service line enters your home. Flush outside about 10 minutes, then flush your inside faucets, etc. until the water is clear. It is safe to drink the water after the boil water notice has been lifted.

Yes. If your water is yellow, orange, red or brown, it may be due to iron in the well water. Iron is not a health hazard, but the discoloration could be a nuisance. If you have a water softener or filter, bypass it and then check to determine if the water color has changed. If it is clear, then you should follow equipment maintenance requirements on your softener. If the bypassed water is discolored, it may be due to increased flow velocity in the water mains. Check and flush your outside hose bib closest to where the service line enters your home. If a hydrant was used, it may take a day for the water to clear. If the discoloring persists, you can contact our Billing Services Department at 248-858-1110, to schedule a low-pressure service line flush. It is safe to drink the water after the boil water notice has been lifted.

Yes. Hot water tanks should be drained after the boil water notice has been lifted. To drain your hot water tank, use only the hot water faucet and run it until the water becomes cool. That indicates that the water in the tank has been successfully drained.

No. However, you may want to store some water in case you lose all water pressure.

Yes. When boiling your water is not practical, chemical disinfection should be used. You can use bleach to disinfect drinking water. The Oakland County Health Division recommendations the following: Disinfect tap water by adding 8 drops (about 1/8 teaspoon) of plain unscented household bleach to a gallon of water.

• Thoroughly mix the solution and allow the water to stand for 30 minutes.
• If the water is cloudy, repeat the process.
• To prevent contamination, use a container with a cap or cover for disinfecting and storing water to be used later for drinking.

• 1% available chlorine = 10 drops per quart of clear water
• 4-6% available chlorine = 2 drops per quart of clear water
• 7-10% available chlorine = 1 drop per quart of clear water

If strength is unknown, add ten drops per quart of water. Double amount of chlorine for cloudy or colored water). The treated water should be mixed thoroughly and allowed to stand for 30 minutes. The water should have a slight chlorine odor; if not, repeat the dosage and allow the water to stand for an additional 15 minutes. If the treated water has too strong a chlorine taste, it can be made more pleasing by allowing the water to stand exposed to the air for a few hours or by pouring it from one clean container to another several times.