Battle Creek boil water advisory hits South 24th Street, as Brice Pit leaf hours change and the commission meeting moves to Nov. 10

BATTLE CREEK — Residents along part of South 24th Street should boil their tap water before drinking it or cooking with it until the city says otherwise.

The City of Battle Creek issued a boil water advisory late Friday morning, Oct. 30, for South 24th Street from Gethings Road to Merrill Drive. The advisory is in effect until further notice, according to the city’s Alert Center.

The city said it shut down part of the water system for improvements or repairs. When that work drops water pressure below a certain level, bacteria can get into the lines, so the advisory is a precaution.

What to do

The city says to bring tap water to a rolling boil for one full minute and let it cool, or use bottled water. Use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and preparing food.

Crews are restoring pressure, flushing hydrants and mains, and collecting bacteria samples in the area. The city will post an update in its Alert Center and tell local media when testing shows the water is safe. Questions go to the Department of Public Works at 269-966-3493.

If past advisories are a guide, the wait may be short. The city put parts of East Kingman Avenue, Highway Street, Jericho Road and Illinois Street under an advisory on Oct. 12 and lifted it Oct. 14. An Oct. 15 advisory for parts of Post Avenue, Nelson Street and Euclid Street was lifted Oct. 16. In both cases, follow-up sampling found no coliform bacteria, the city said.

Leaves, Brice Pit and recreation hours

Republic Services will pick up unlimited curbside yard waste for city residents through Friday, Dec. 4. Leaves and grass clippings go in an approved bag or container at the curb by 6 a.m. on your regular collection day.

Brice Pit, 715 W. River Road, switches to new hours starting Monday, Nov. 2: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays and Fridays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, closed weekends and holidays. It closes for the season Friday, Nov. 20. Burning leaves is not allowed in the city, and the city asks residents not to push leaves into the street, because its sweepers can’t handle piles.

Full Blast Recreation Center moves to seasonal hours Sunday, Nov. 1: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Park water features, including splash pads and fountains, are being shut down for winter until late spring 2027.

Roads and meetings

Consumers Energy is replacing underground electrical lines on McCamly Street, between State Street and Jackson Street, that have served downtown since 1962. The McCamly and Michigan Avenue intersection may close at times, and the work should wrap up before the Christmas parade on Saturday, Nov. 21. Milling and paving on West Van Buren, Champion, Calhoun, Watkins Lane and other streets in the 2026 Local Rehabilitation Project should be finished by mid-November.

The City Commission’s first November meeting moves up a week because of the Nov. 3 election. It will be held Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 10 N. Division St., followed by a second meeting Nov. 17. City offices close Wednesday, Nov. 11, for Veterans Day, but trash pickup that week will not be delayed.

Sources:
City of Battle Creek Alert Center, “ACTIVE Boil Water Advisory - South 24th Street,” Oct. 30, 2026 (area, cause, instructions, sampling, contact), https://www.battlecreekmi.gov/AlertCenter.aspx
City of Battle Creek Alert Center, canceled advisories of Oct. 14 and Oct. 16, 2026 (earlier advisories and results), https://www.battlecreekmi.gov/AlertCenter.aspx?AID=1054 and https://www.battlecreekmi.gov/AlertCenter.aspx?AID=1056
City of Battle Creek News Flash, “BC City Connection: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026 Mayor’s Minute” and “City park winterization, leaf disposal options, and...WINTER IS COMING!,” Oct. 29–30, 2026 (yard waste, Brice Pit, Full Blast, parks, McCamly Street, paving, commission schedule, Veterans Day), https://www.battlecreekmi.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx
Photo: Jim Roberts, “Battle Creek City Hall 2.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_Creek_City_Hall_2.jpg

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Tags: Battle Creek · Boil Water Advisory · Leaf Pickup · Brice Pit · Full Blast · City Commission