GLWA To Rebuild Troubled Oakland County Water Main In $81M Project

OAKLAND COUNTY, MI — The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) announced plans Tuesday to rebuild a troubled Oakland County water main.

The water main, located along 14 Mile Road, has caused major disruption for the surrounding communities, including four major breaks in the last seven years.

"The repeated water main breaks along the 14 Mile corridor made it clear that we need a more comprehensive approach to ensuring the level of service our communities need and deserve," GLWA Chief Executive Officer Suzanne R. Coffey said. "This investment reflects our commitment to replacing aging infrastructure, strengthening system operation, and deploying advanced monitoring technology so we can identify problems earlier and potentially reduce future disruptions."

Officials said the $81 million project will be broken into two phases.

The first phase will start in November 2026 and will include completely rebuilding three miles of the line from west of Haggerty Road to just east of Farmington Road.

That work will continue into 2028, officials said.

Crews will then inspect three additional miles of the line from just east of Farmington Road to GLWA’s Franklin Pump Station.

They will also renew pipe segments during inspection and install an Acoustic Fiber Optic Monitoring System within the entire three-mile segment of PCCP.

Officials said the monitoring system will continuously watch the main in real-time and quickly detect leaks and wire breaks (wire breaks are the primary indicator of deterioration of PCCP).

Officials said traffic will be impacted in the area during construction, but did not release a traffic plan. GLWA will hold open houses to hear from the community and release additional details later.

Officials don't believe there will be any major impact to household water in the area during construction.

"The March water main break, which left drivers stranded in our city and disrupted service across neighborhoods, underscored that our residents deserve better," Farmington Hills Mayor Theresa Rich said. "Our first responders and Public Services team acted swiftly during the emergency, but no community should have to rely on heroics to overcome aging infrastructure. Today’s GLWA investment marks a critical step toward delivering the resilient, safe water systems our residents require."