A boil water advisory that was caused by a large water main break in downtown Detroit was lifted Tuesday, but some city council members have raised concerns about how it occurred in the first place.

Council Member Janee' Ayers submitted two memos Tuesday to the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department and the Great Lakes Water Authority asking for an independent investigation by a panel of engineers not contracted with GLWA or Detroit, to discover how and why the water main break occurred.

"We've got to be preventative ... so this type of thing doesn't occur," Ayers said.

The water main break also caused severe flooding in the area near the water main break, which occurred near McDougall and Larned, leaving some cars fully submerged at a townhouse complex, Detroit Water and Sewerage Director Gary Brown said Tuesday during a city council session.

The cars were submerged in at least 3 feet of water, Brown said, and a claims process has been set up for impacted individuals.

Brown said the city's water has been tested and the department is delivering "delivering clean, fresh safe water to the residents of the city of Detroit."

Council President Pro Tem Mary Sheffield asked DWSD to consider implementing a system to notify residents when a water main break occurs. Sheffield said she heard several concerns from residents near the impacted area.

"All in all, we have a great water system but its weaknesses were exposed and we must be focused on improving our water infrastructure and the transparency and communication of the related activities of the system,"

Bryan Peckinpaugh, department spokesman, said backup pipes are providing water for residences and businesses in the affected area.

Peckinpaugh said water from those pipes was tested and concluded to be safe for customers, prompting the advisory lift.

Earlier Tuesday morning, Brown said water should be at normal pressure level for residences and businesses affected.

The 42-inch water main break was reported by the city's water and sewerage department and Great Lakes Water Authority on Saturday night in wake of media preview days at the North American International Auto Show in downtown Detroit.

The advisory affected hotels, businesses, and residences in the area bounded by the Lodge freeway service drive on the west, Mt. Elliott on the east, I-75 on the north and Detroit River on the south. Although people still had water, they experienced low water pressure until the water main was restored.

Residents and businesses were advised to boil their water for at least a minute and drink bottled water.

The advisory was initially expected to be in effect until Thursday.

While the boil water advisory has been lifted, the water department still recommends that if water has not been used for six hours or more, water should run from the tap until it is cold and continue to run for an additional two minutes for fresh water.

Peckinpaugh said after the water main is restored, the department will complete two rounds of tests. There is not a set date when the pipes will be fully restored.

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