Great Lakes Water Authority completes $12.8M water line repairs along 14 Mile Road. The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) announced it has completed work on a $12.8 million project to renew and replace sections of its 42-inch transmission main along 14 Mile Road from just west of M-5 to Walled Lake. May 13, 2026 The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) announced it has completed work on a $12.8 million project to renew and replace sections of its 42-inch transmission main along 14 Mile Road from just west of M-5 to Walled Lake. The project also included the first installation of an acoustic fiber optic monitoring system by a water utility in Michigan. Designed to improve system resiliency after three major breaks on this main in the last seven years, the project was completed on time and within budget, the GLWA reports. The project was developed in collaboration with GLWA's member partner communities of Commerce Township, Walled Lake, Wixom, and Novi - all of which have been significantly impacted by the previous breaks. The project included: * Replacing more than a mile (221 20-foot segments/5,460 linear feet) of prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) with new steel pipe was replaced. * Renewing 97 feet of PCCP with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP). The carbon fiber renewal will extend the life of the pipe by approximately 50 years. * Installing an acoustic fiber optic monitoring system in a section of 42-inch PCCP pipe along 14 Mile Road from just east of Walled Lake to GLWA's Wixom Booster Station at Maple and Beck Roads to detect the sound of wire breaks, which can help predict future failures before they occur. "I want to express my thanks to everyone, especially those who live or own a business along 14 Mile Road in the impacted area, for their patience over the last seven months as we have worked to complete work on this critical project," says Suzanne R. Coffey, CEO of the GLWA. "We don't take the disruption our projects cause lightly and move as quickly and safely as we can to complete our work." With the project now complete, road restoration is underway. Road restoration is a three-step process: laying down stone aggregate base within the open-cut areas, forming/pouring curbs and driveway approaches, and laying new asphalt. There is also setting/curing time involved in some of the steps. Crews are completing road restoration in two phases: Phase 1, which is currently underway, is from Beachwalk Drive to Centennial Road, and Phase 2 is from Centennial Road to just west of M-5. Phases 1 and 2 may overlap. Full road restoration is expected to be complete by the end of June. In Related News, The Great Lakes Water Authority reported progress on repairing a 42-inch water transmission main break located in River Woods Park in Auburn Hills. GLWA continues to urge the residents of Orion Township, the Village of Lake Orion, Rochester Hills, Pontiac, and Auburn Hills to restrict their water usage to only what is necessary for hydration and basic hygiene (short showers and toilet flushing) for the duration of the emergency. Please do not run dishwashers, washing machines, or water your lawn. GLWA's Field Service crews and emergency contractors continued working 24/7 at the break site and completed installation of the new segment of pipe at approximately 6 p.m. on Monday, May 11. They were then able to fill, pressure test, and disinfect the isolated section of the water main. Early this morning the process of flushing the water main began and is expected to be completed today. GLWA and the impacted communities are now taking the necessary steps to return the regional system to normal operations. This includes undoing the operational steps taken at the outset of the emergency. This process will likely take 24-36 hours. Barring any unforeseen complications, GLWA expects to return water pressure to the impacted communities sometime on Thursday. The individual communities will then need to flush their systems. The boil water advisories will remain in effect for Orion Township, the Village of Lake Orion, the northern section of Auburn Hills, and the northwest corner of Rochester Hills until all required water quality testing is completed by both GLWA and the impacted communities. This multi-day testing process is not expected to begin until the end of the week. To continue assisting the impacted communities, GLWA will once again deploy its three water trucks to provide residents with one-gallon containers of water. These trucks are capable of providing 2,000 one-gallon containers in each trip, and will be at the following locations from 8:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m.: Orion Township * Wildwood Amphitheater, 2700 Joslyn Court Auburn Hills * Auburn Hills Department of Public Works, 1500 Brown Road Village of Lake Orion * Atwater Park, 426 Atwater Street On Monday, May 11, the water truck gave out 10,000 gallons of water via the three locations. The city of Rochester Hills also has opened a water distribution center in the parking lot of the Von Maur in the Village of Rochester Hills, 400 North Adams Road. Operating hours are 8:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. each day. For the most updated information, visit glwater.org, or sign up for your community's emergency alert system. For the communities impacted by this water main break those are: The Great Lakes Water Authority provides drinking water services to nearly 40 percent, and efficient and effective wastewater services to nearly 30 percent, of Michigan's population. GLWA also has the capacity to extend its services beyond its 88 member partner communities. Its board includes one representative each from Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne counties, two representatives from the city of Detroit, and one appointed by the Michigan governor to represent member partner communities outside of the tri-county area.

F.H. Paschen triples Detroit office space with move to new riverfront headquarters. DETROIT, MI - F.H. Paschen, a leader in infrastructure construction, announced a major expansion with a ribbon-cutting for a new Downtown Detroit office along the river at the Talon Center to support its rapid growth in the Michigan market. Located at 100 River Place Drive, Suite 200 East, the new office space triples the size of the company's previous downtown footprint. With more than $300 million in new regional business growth, the construction firm is scaling up its office space to keep pace with demand. Notably, by staying in downtown, F.H. Paschen reinforces its identity as a Detroit-based business dedicated to the city's ongoing economic development. "Moving to the Talon Center allows us to better serve our clients while staying rooted in the heart of Detroit," said Ken Swartz, Vice President at F.H. Paschen and leader of the Detroit office. "Our team has been leading infrastructure projects in this region for over 30 years. This larger space ensures we have the resources to manage our increasing workload and continue hiring local talent." F.H. Paschen's Detroit portfolio includes major utility and infrastructure work. The firm is currently executing multiple projects for their largest client, the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA), facility renovations at the City of East Lansing's WRRF and has recently broken ground on the $110M City of Warren Waste Water Treatment Plant Dewatering and Incineration improvement project. Nationally, Engineering News-Record (ENR) recently ranked F.H. Paschen as the #24 largest builders in the Water Treatment category nationally. The Paschen Detroit office is led by Ken Swartz, a 45-year infrastructure construction veteran. Joining him in leadership roles are other long-time Detroit-area construction executives including water treatment industry expert Bob Costa and Project Executive Mike Mancik. The investment in expanding Paschen's Detroit presence reflects a long-term commitment to build better water and public infrastructure in Michigan. The FHP's local leadership has decades of experience navigating the specific needs of Detroit's built environment, from complex water systems to transportation hubs. "Detroit is a key market for our company's future," said Jim Blair, CEO of F.H. Paschen. "The growth we are seeing here is a result of our team's hard work and the strong relationships they have built with local partners. We are invested in Detroit and Southeastern Michigan's success and look forward to contributing to the city's growth for years to come." The newly expanded Detroit office opened on Monday, March 2nd and is actively hiring to support its growth. Job openings include Project Manager, Assistant Project Manager and Construction Superintendent positions. Interested applicants can find job openings at fhpaschen.com/careers-at-paschen/.

The Great Lakes Water Authority has partnered with Focus Hope, Michigan Works, and the City of Detroit to look for apprentices to soak up valuable knowledge from their retiring workers to keep their water services running smoothly.