GLWA Continues Emergency Response Work on 54-inch Water Main in Southwest Detroit
GLWA CONTINUES EMERGENCY RESPONSE WORK ON 54-INCH WATER TRANSMISSION MAIN IN SOUTHWEST DETROIT
Replacement pipe segment now on-site and being prepared for installation
GLWA crews and contractors have removed a 12-foot section of damaged pipe.
Pipe assessment contractors are inspecting the condition of the transmission main on either side of the break in preparation for the repair process to begin.
DETROIT – The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) continues its critical role as a part of the broader emergency response to a break on a 54-inch steel water transmission main at Beard and Rowan in Southwest Detroit that occurred in the early morning hours of Monday, February 17, 2025.
Today, a 19-foot segment of replacement pipe arrived on-site.
In the last 24 hours, GLWA crews and contractors removed an approximately 12-foot section of damaged pipe, and pipe assessment contractors have begun inspecting the condition of the existing pipe on either side of the break location in preparation for the repair process to begin.
The timeline for completion of the repair and returning the main to service is expected to be at least two weeks.
More updates will be provided as they become available.
Residents impacted by the water main break can call (313) 774-5261 to be connected to emergency resources through the City of Detroit.
Jody Caldwell
Chief Planning OfficerJody Caldwell is the Chief Planning Officer for the Great Lakes Water Authority. Mr. Caldwell brings over two decades of private consultation, municipal operations and maintenance, asset management, and strategic planning experience within the water sector. In the Chief Planning Officer role with GLWA, he supports the asset management, capital improvement planning, water and wastewater analytics, planning and metering, systems planning and member outreach groups.
Prior to this role, Mr. Caldwell was the Asset Management Director for the enterprise-wide asset management group within GLWA for over five years. He helped to support functional areas by coordinating overall asset management strategies, objectives, and activities to ensure decisions are informed by risk, regional needs, and life cycle considerations.
Prior to his service with GLWA, Mr. Caldwell was a Chief Engineer at Oakland County’s Water Resources Commissioner’s Office where he worked for 12 years in many different capacities. In that role, Mr. Caldwell was responsible for oversight of multiple areas including capital, asset management and planning, finance and budgeting, water operations and maintenance, water engineering, and cross connection control. During his time with WRC, Mr. Caldwell worked closely with the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) and GLWA. He was the Oakland County representative on the DWSD Board of Water Commissioners, served as the water technical advisory committee and wastewater steering committee co-chairs, and was an important part of the DWSD-GLWA transition effort.
Mr. Caldwell is a registered professional engineer in the state of Michigan and holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Michigan State University.