GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Thousands of cars were lined up to receive free cases of bottled water on Monday evening, March 18, amid an ongoing boil-water advisory that is in effect for residents on the northeast side of Grand Rapids.
Roughly 20,000 homes and businesses in downtown and northeast Grand Rapids, along with a majority of Grand Rapids Township, remain under the boiled water notice that was issued Sunday, March 17, after a water main break. The water main has been fixed, but testing is still ongoing to make sure the water is safe.
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Residents are expected to be without safe drinking water through at least Wednesday, due to state regulations requiring 48 hours of testing showing no bacteria or pathogens within the water supply of the impacted area.
SpartanNash, in conjunction with the city of Grand Rapids, gave away about 3,000 cases of bottled water on Monday to those impacted by the boil-water advisory. Residents will be able to pick up free water again from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, at 1635 Leonard St. NE.
Families have been advised to boil their tap water or use bottled water for any drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and food preparation.
Grand Rapids resident Jenn Lee, who lives near Lydia Street and Grand Avenue, said it’s been tough to navigate the boil-water advisory with an infant child.
Bath time is an important part of her 6-month-old daughter’s nightly routine, but Lee said she wasn’t able to give her daughter a bath on Sunday night because parents have been advised to use boiled water for baths.
“We don’t have a sponge bath big enough to fit her that would not require a whole bath being full,” she said. “We might just take a bucket of water and keep it warm and just give her a towel wipe-down or something.”
Luckily, her daughter breastfeeds, so Lee said she doesn’t need water for formula. But Lee does need plenty of water to stay hydrated, which means she’s had to stock up on extra cases of bottled water during the boil advisory, she said.
“You don’t realize how much you use water until it happens,” Lee told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press after she picked up her case of water on Monday.
Another challenge has been finding places to store boiled water, Lee said. She’s been boiling pots of water to use for her two dogs and for brushing teeth, but she has to use random water bottles around the house to store it all.
“Unless you’re somebody that has a 5-7 gallon tank, or empty jugs, you can only boil so much depending on your pot size, and then on top of that, it’s gotta cool down before you can store it anywhere, and if you don’t have places – I mean, I’m using protein blender bottles and whatever water bottles I have to be able to fill those up,” she said.
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Julie LaCroix, who lives on Ball Avenue and Sweet Street, said it’s hard for her kids to remember that they can’t use the sink. She’s left a sign next to her bathroom sink to remind her kids, ages 7 and 9, to not use the tap water for drinking or brushing teeth, she said.
“It’s really hard with little kids,” she said. “They don’t think about it, they’re little. We’ve never had to do this before.”
LaCroix, 42, said she’s lived on the northeast side of the city for her entire life, and she’s never been under a boil-water advisory before.
City officials say this is the largest boil water advisory in at least 15 years.
“I asked my parents, they’re 71 and 68, and they’re like, ‘We’ve never had to do it either,’” LaCroix said. “And they’ve lived on the northeast end their entire lives.”
Luckily, LaCroix said she stocked up on bottled water while visiting family up north on Sunday evening, so she didn’t need to pick up more at the SpartanNash free water giveaway on Monday. But she said the whole ordeal has made her feel thankful for what she has.
“I appreciate the fact that we do have running water all the time, and I know there’s people who aren’t as fortunate to have drinkable water like we do,” she said.
LaCroix said her kids attend Northview Public Schools, which is outside of the boundaries for the boil-water advisory, so they’ve been able to attend school this week.
Grand Rapids Public Schools has announced it will be closed Tuesday, with 22 of its buildings, including its nutrition-services headquarters, affected by the advisory.
RELATED: Grand Rapids schools to close Tuesday over boil-water advisory
Larry Bennett, who lives on the 900 block of Maryland Avenue, said he has plenty of bottled water at home, so he hasn’t needed to boil any water for…
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