Boil water advisory lifted in Garfield Township neighborhoods after main break

Midday Sunday, the boil water advisory was lifted for the Traditions and Birmley Estates neighborhoods in Garfield Township, ending the last public-health restriction tied to a water main break under Garfield Road. For residents who had been boiling tap water for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth and other household uses, the change meant normal service could resume after officials cleared the system.

Grand Traverse County Department of Public Works said the break was found at about 2 p.m. on May 21, when crews investigated low water pressure on South Garfield Road. The county’s notice covered Garfield Road between Carriage Hill and Manitou Drive and kept the boil advisory in place until sampling results showed the water was safe to drink again.

The failure did more than interrupt water service. Local coverage reported that the break under Garfield Road caused a sinkhole and collapsed part of the roadway, forcing closures and repairs in the middle of a busy stretch of Garfield Township. Crews later reopened the road after overnight work and paving, but the advisory remained in effect until the drinking-water system had been cleared.

The county treated the incident as a water-quality problem, not just a pavement repair. Its public notice listed Kent Northstine of Grand Traverse County DPW as a contact and included the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline, signaling that residents were being asked to follow a formal public-health precaution while the line and surrounding conditions were checked.

The episode also underscored how quickly a main break can become a broader infrastructure emergency in Garfield Township. Garfield Township Ordinance No. 15 identifies Grand Traverse County Water Supply System No. 1 as a public utility operated under Act 94, which helps explain why county public works, the road commission and township officials had to coordinate closely once pressure dropped and the road failed.

The advisory’s end brought immediate relief to the affected neighborhoods, but it also highlighted the strain on water lines and roads in the Garfield and Traverse City area this spring. In a fast-growing part of Grand Traverse County, one broken main can disrupt a street, a water system and a daily routine all at once, and the county’s response showed how quickly those pieces are now tied together.