ONSTED, Mich. — The small village of Onsted, Michigan in Lenawee County is under a water boil advisory the entire Christmas weekend.
"If it's once a year - it doesn't really affect you," said local business owner Brandon Shepard. "But when it happens multiple times, and you figure the extra cost repeatedly or the breakfast restaurant lost three days worth of sales on a holiday weekend. That's big."
Since Friday, Lenawee County Emergency Management has advised that Onsted residents boil their water before doing anything; whether it's drinking, preparing food, or washing with it.
According a notice sent out by the village, there was a pressure drop in the water system when Onsted Schools performed a fire suppression test without notifying the water department. The water department says the pressure drop necessitated the testing of the water as a precaution, which led to the issuance of the boil water advisory.
The advisory is frustrating to the people who live and work in Onsted.
"It takes the kitchen longer. You know, they got to swap water out. They got to bowl water. So it takes longer to get through all the dishes," said Shepard who owns Johnnie's Bar & Grill. "It takes longer, the service is a little slower. It takes longer to make everything. If I run out of ice I gotta send somebody to wherever is open to get more ice. I can only keep so much on hand."
The village anticipates that the advisory could be lifted by Christmas Day.
Anyone with questions about the boil water advisory are asked to call Brandon Damon at 517-673-9369.
People can also learn about ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
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