by Robert Acosta, originally posted on June 20, 2016

FLINT, MI —  A segment of Flint residents are being advised to boil their water before using it after a pressure drop due to replace broken valves following a water main break along Court Street.

The main break has left a large sinkhole on Court Street, near Downey Street, with crews at the site Monday afternoon to begin repairs that will include valves at the street’s intersection with Pershing, Vosburg, and Durand streets on Tuesday, June 21.

Workers are then expect to perform valve replacements Wednesday at Zimmerman and Vosburg and Corunna and Vosburg.

The current lane closure on Court Street will remain in place for the duration of the work, with traffic delays possible in the affected areas.

People in those areas have been asked to boil their water as a preventive measure as bacterial contamination may have occurred in the water system, according to the city.

“This boil water advisory is just precautionary, and while it may be a hassle, we want residents to be safe,” said Flint Mayor Karen Weaver, in a news release.

Water boiled should come through a filter. The city advised those who may not have a filter to run their water for seven minutes before collecting any water to boil.

Trapped air and loose sediment may also be coming through water lines due to the loss in pressure and may be removed by flushing the water system at homes, but residents should not their system through their filter.

“We know the city’s infrastructure is old and issues like this unfortunately can’t be avoided,” Weaver said. “But we are working to fix the problem.”