FREEPORT, Mich. (WOOD) — This all started around 6 p.m. Friday night in the northern Barry County village when the Ketchum Machine Company warehouse on Oak Street had its second fire in the last year-and-a-half.
The Freeport Rural Fire Department was still working on the stubborn fire just before 11 p.m. when a volunteer noticed a valve used to draw water was broken and was allowing backwash into the municipal water supply.
That included the fire-sighting foam mixed with water to help it combat the fire.
“It’s really just a high concentrated detergent,” said Freeport Fire Chief Jim Yarger.“It’s soap, it’s soap.”
The valve failure also allowed water pulled from the Little Thornapple River to enter the water supply, untreated.
“So, it’s the… bugs in that they’re more worried about at this time,” Yarger said.
This discovery led to a quick meeting with the township leadership and calls to the county health department and the state.
The outcome was a no contact order for all 180 customers of the city water system.
“It was decided this was the best route to go, better safe than sorry,” said Freeport Village President Bill Andrews.
This was around midnight when they decided to post it on the village Facebook page and website, but they also had to let residents know before they got up to take a shower.
So, all village officials, volunteer firefighters and anyone available went door-to-door letting everyone know, including the village clerk Shawna Hill.
“I grabbed the closest clothes I had which was a bright pink fuzzy nightgown, my slippers and pajama pants,” Hill said. “At about 3:30, that was ‘do you always work this late’ and I said ‘no, actually I don’t as you can tell I was sleeping’ and she said ‘you robe looks really comfy’ and I said ‘thank you’ and I said ‘have a good night’ and we walked away.”
Now the village is flushing the water lines and the county is sending water to the state DEQ for testing.
“They found a lab that will test them tomorrow, see where we’re at,” Yarger said. “Last we heard from the DEQ, we’re still under the no contact, bottled water only.”
About 100 residents have been in to get free water at the fire hall. And dealing with the lack of water that could last for a while.
The best guess?
“Wednesday is optimistic,” Yarger said.
Everyone seems to be coping.
Freeport residents Brad and Sueann Brownell say they have had to get creative, showering at the gym and using bottled water for everything at home.
“Showers and laundry will be the big thing,” Suann said.
The only restaurant in the village will have to stay closed as well.
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