Kalamazoo boil water advisory Tuesday, Oct. 27: water shuts off at 8 a.m. on parts of Denner, Summit and West North streets

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Some Kalamazoo water customers near Denner Street will be under a precautionary boil water advisory starting Tuesday, Oct. 27, while the city makes repairs to its water system.

Crews plan to start at about 8 a.m. Tuesday, when water will be shut off in the work area, according to the City of Kalamazoo. The repair will cause a temporary loss of water pressure, which is why the advisory is being issued.

The blocks affected, as described in the city’s advisory reported by WWMT:

Denner Street, from Summit Avenue south to Forbes Street, both sides
Summit Avenue, from Denner Street east about 570 feet, both sides (not the northeast corner of Summit and Denner)
West North Street, from Denner Street east about 635 feet, both sides
Jefferson Avenue, only the northeast corner at Denner Street

What to do. Until the advisory is lifted, use bottled water, or boil tap water for two minutes, for drinking and anything else you swallow. The city says no special steps are needed for water used for bathing, washing hands or other hygiene. The Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services Department said no tests have shown bacteria in the water main at the repair site, WWMT reported.

When it should end. Initial sample results are expected within 24 hours of collection and a final set within 48 hours, and the advisory is expected to be lifted within 72 hours, on Oct. 30, the station reported.

Why a repair means boiling water. Kalamazoo’s water system is kept under pressure at all times, which keeps contamination out, the city explains on its advisories page. When crews lower the pressure in a section to fix or connect pipes, that water is less protected, so the city issues an advisory while it tests. It runs two separate rounds of testing before lifting one, and the city says most advisories are lifted within three days.

An advisory is a precaution. If testing ever found a problem, the city would issue a boil water order instead, which it calls “exceedingly rare.” For contamination that boiling can’t fix, such as a chemical spill, a notice would instead say “Do Not Drink” or “Do Not Use.”

How you’ll hear about it. The city hand-delivers advisory notices to affected homes and businesses whenever it can. Current and recently lifted advisories are listed on the city’s Boil Water Advisories page, where residents can subscribe for updates. Questions go to the city at 311 or (269) 337-8000, or 311@kalamazoocity.org.

Sources:
City of Kalamazoo, “Boil Water Advisories” (scheduled Denner/Summit/W. North/Jefferson advisory, how advisories work, contacts), https://www.kalamazoocity.org/Residents/Water-Sewer-Service/Boil-Water-Advisories
WWMT News Channel 3, “Parts of Kalamazoo to be under boil water advisory next Tuesday for repairs,” Oct. 22, 2026 (boundaries, testing timeline, health department statement), https://wwmt.com/news/local/kalamazoo-under-boil-water-advisory-next-tuesday-repairs-denner-street-summit-avenue-forbes-west-north-jefferson
Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20130626_07_Boil_the_Water,_Canmore,_Alberta_(11361316795).jpg

Kalamazoo

Tags: Kalamazoo · Boil Water Advisory · Water · Public Works · Public Health · Alerts