Normal water service could return for East Lansing, Meridian by midday Thursday if pipe is fixed

EAST LANSING — A conserve water notice for customers could be lifted by midday Thursday if East Lansing-Meridian Water & Sewer Authority officials are able to fix a pipe damaged Tuesday.

ELMWSA Manager Joel Martinez said Wednesday afternoon the pipe is being repaired currently and officials expected to have the final repair done by midday Thursday.

"It's been a little slower than expected, but we should be able to maintain water pressure throughout the system and not have any issues for fire suppression or anything like that,” he said.

If the fix goes well and is completed Thursday, then officials will assess the plant. Once assured it's at full, normal operation then the notice will be lifted, he said.

The East Lansing-Meridian Water & Sewer Authority issued a conserve water notice to customers Wednesday morning, asking them to avoid baths, limit showers, put off doing laundry and dishes, and otherwise cut back on usage while workers repair a transmission line.

Martinez said the pipe was damaged during construction for one of the plant's projects. The damaged pipe takes water from the plant's finished water reservoir, treated water, and goes through high service pumps that push water into the distribution system.

When that pipe was damaged, the plant had to start taking water from the Lansing Board of Water & Light light to make sure there were no low pressure areas within the system, he said.

Safe drinking water is being supplied by Lansing Board of Water & Light while repairs take place, but in the meantime there is limited water supply, officials said.

Michigan State University has its own water treatment facility and MSU’s north campus water system serves most MSU buildings. However, 1855 Place, Brody Neighborhood, University Village and the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center are served by the East Lansing-Meridian Water and Sewer Authority, according to the university's website.

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MSU Spokesperson Dan Olsen said that it was the university's understanding that East Lansing had stabilized the issue so campus buildings did not need to conserve water as of Wednesday afternoon.

"That was lifted for our folks," he said.

The damaged water main and conserve water notice has no effect on BWL customers or its water pressure, BWL Public Relations Specialist Emma McGlocklin told the State Journal.

Martinez said there were no health risks at all during the notice, which was put out to ensure the overall safety of the distribution system itself, and BWL uses the same water treatment techniques as ELMWSA.

"Most people wouldn't even be able to tell the difference between drinking East Lansing or Meridian water or Lansing water," he said. "They are very similar water qualities. So hopefully most people didn't even realize anything was happening.”

View the full Conserve Water Notice (PDF) and please share it with other ELMWSA customers. People can contact Martinez for more information at 517-337-7535 or jmartinez@elmwsa.com.

Contact Bryce Airgood at 517-267-0448 or bairgood@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @bairgood123.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Normal water service could return for East Lansing, Meridian by midday Thursday