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Highland Park faces another water main break, this time due to heat and aging infrastructure

Mayor says only one part of city is affected, fix should be quick and water bottles are available for anyone without water
Highland Park faces another water main break, this time due to heat and aging infrastructure
Highland Park faces another water main break, this time due to heat and aging infrastructure
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HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. (WXYZ) — Highland Park faced another water main break this week due to heat putting stress on the aging infrastructure.

City crews worked overnight to restore water to eight streets Tuesday after a water main break occurred on Woodward Avenue and East Buena Vista Street Monday evening.

Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's and Ryan Marshall's video reports below:

Highland Park faces another water main break, this time due to heat and aging infrastructure
Highland Park faces another water main break, this time due to heat and aging infrastructure

Some residents were left with very low water pressure or no water at all.

Crews working to fix the water main break at Woodward and East Buena Vista
Crews working to fix the water main break at Woodward and East Buena Vista

"Hard to cook, hard to clean, can't go to work right 'cause you can't take a bath," Highland Park resident Roosevelt Strother said.

This isn't the first water issue for Highland Park. In March, residents across the city went without water for days due to construction work on the aging infrastructure. Some pipes in the city are over 100 years old and made of wood. Officials hope to have the majority of their infrastructure replaced within five to seven years with the help of state funding.

Watch the March report in the video player below:

Residents adapt as Highland Park's low water pressure could take 4 days to fix

“Our infrastructure is very old, and they are working to rebuild it. That’s why we have so much construction in the city," Highland Park Mayor Glenda McDonald said.

While repairs were underway, the city's fire department assisted the mayor in distributing water to affected residents. Cases left over from March's water main breaks were available for pickup at the police station from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The mayor clarified that the water was safe to drink and did not require boiling.

"It's bad. But what can you do? You have to roll with the punches, and that's what we do. And we know one day soon, it's gonna get better," Highland Park resident Barbara Williams said.

Saeeda Burton, who was helping her 96-year-old grandmother and Highland Park resident with low water pressure, expressed her frustration.

"They gotta get it together, and hopefully they will," Burton said.

The city expects this specific main break to be fully repaired by Wednesday. If repairs take longer, officials plan to organize another water pickup day.

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