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Monroe County to begin testing affected water Tuesday, providing free bottled water to resident's impacted by US-23 fuel leak

The Whiteford Township Fire Department will be distributing cases of bottled water to residents whose drinking water may be impacted by the diesel fuel leak.

MONROE, Michigan — Editor's note: This story has been updated to include the latest information from the Monroe County Health Department. 

The Monroe County Health Department will provide cases of water for Whiteford Township residents whose drinking water may have been impacted by the diesel fuel leak that occurred on US-23 and US-223 earlier this week.

The bottled water will be available for residents to pick up on on Monday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Volunteers will be onsite at the Whiteford Volunteer Fire Department to help distribute the water, which is being provided by the Meijer of Monroe and Pilot Gas Station.

RELATED: Monroe County Health Department advises drinking water caution after diesel fuel leak

According to the health department, a limit of two cases of water per household while supplies last.

Impacted areas include households adjacent to the North Branch Ottawa River (Tenmile Creek) near the US-23 and US-223 intersection.

The Monroe County Health Department states that there is no specific distance from the impacted waterway that residents need to be in order to pick up water. However, it hopes that residents who live further away from the river will allow those closer to pick up bottled water first. 

On Monday, the department said in a press release that letters would be hand delivered by staff to homes in the immediate area described above to announce the intent to collect water samples from residences. Beginning Tuesday and extending through the week, representatives from the health department, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and an independent testing agency will be in the area to collect the samples. 

Samples are expected to take no more than three days, the department said, and it will notify residence of the testing results once they are available. 

Homeowners do not need to anything for the testing. representatives will collect a sample form an outside faucet, so homeowners do not need to be present. If the home does not have an outside faucet, if the faucet has a different water source than the drinking well water, or if the outside faucet is treated, the department said other arrangements would need to be made. 

Call the Monroe County Health Department at 734-240-7900 or email eh_frontdesk@monroemi.org to create other arrangements or to express any questions or concerns. 

Click here for more information. 

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