{
  "id": "2025-03-17-university-of-michigan-plymouth-road-water-main-break",
  "slug": "university-of-michigan-plymouth-road-water-main-break-2025-03-17",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of Michigan",
    "shortName": "U-M",
    "state": "MI",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "U-M Emergency Alert",
    "enrollment": 52000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-03-17",
    "type": "infrastructure-failure",
    "cleryCategory": "advisory",
    "headline": "Infrastructure failure, March 17, 2025",
    "summary": "Early on March 17, 2025, [two water main breaks near Plymouth Road in northeast Ann Arbor](https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2025/03/17/water-main-break-closes-stretch-of-plymouth-road-in-ann-arbor/) prompted University of Michigan emergency alerts and a road closure. DPSS issued an initial alert at 5:03 a.m. EDT and an update at 6:16 a.m. closing Plymouth Road between Huron Parkway and Green Road; the [alert was canceled at 10:58 a.m.](https://news.dpss.umich.edu/2025/03/5044). The City of Ann Arbor issued a 48-hour boil water advisory that was lifted March 19.",
    "outcome": "Plymouth Road reopened by the morning of March 18; boil water advisory lifted March 19, 2025 with no contamination found. No injuries.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2025-03-17T05:03:00-04:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "UM-Ann Arbor EAlert: 5:03 a.m. – Water Main Break 3000 Block Plymouth Rd. Avoid Plymouth Road between Georgetown Blvd and Huron Parkway due to water over the roadway. Updates: dpss.umich.edu",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://news.dpss.umich.edu/2025/03/5044",
      "sourceDescription": "U-M DPSS Emergency Alert chronology (news.dpss.umich.edu/2025/03/5044)",
      "annotations": [
        "Exact initial U-M Alert line from official DPSS chronology",
        "Corrected to exact live DPSS chronology wording (PR7b)."
      ],
      "characterCount": 190
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2025-03-17T05:30:00-04:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "Update #1: 5:30 AM – Avoid Plymouth Road between Georgetown Blvd and Huron Parkway area until further notice.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://news.dpss.umich.edu/2025/03/5044",
      "sourceDescription": "U-M DPSS Emergency Alert timeline — Update #1",
      "annotations": [
        "Exact Update #1 line from official DPSS chronology"
      ],
      "characterCount": 109
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2025-03-17T06:16:00-04:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "Update #2: 6:16 AM – All traffic on Plymouth Rd between Huron Pkwy and Green Rd is closed until further notice due to water main break. Access onto Plymouth Road from Georgetown Blvd is closed. Avoid area and find alternative routes.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://news.dpss.umich.edu/2025/03/5044",
      "sourceDescription": "U-M DPSS Emergency Alert timeline — Update #2",
      "annotations": [
        "Exact Update #2 line from official DPSS chronology"
      ],
      "characterCount": 233
    },
    {
      "sequence": 4,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2025-03-17T10:58:00-04:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "Canceled: 10:58 a.m. – Plymouth Rd between Huron Pkwy and Green Rd remains closed. Avoid area. Updates: https://dpss.umich.edu/",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://news.dpss.umich.edu/2025/03/5044",
      "sourceDescription": "U-M DPSS Emergency Alert chronology (news.dpss.umich.edu/2025/03/5044)",
      "annotations": [
        "Exact canceled line from news.dpss.umich.edu/2025/03/5044",
        "Corrected to exact live DPSS chronology wording (PR7b)."
      ],
      "characterCount": 127
    },
    {
      "sequence": 5,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2025-03-17T10:59:00-04:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "UM EAlert\n Ann Arbor: 10:58 AM ALERT CANCELED. Plymouth Road between Huron Parkway and Green Road remains closed. Avoid Area. Updates: http://dpss.umich.edu",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/umichdpss/status/1901649946325238037",
      "sourceDescription": "@umichdpss on X (verbatim)",
      "annotations": [
        "Exact wording from official DPSS Emergency Alert timeline page for 03/17/25 water main break",
        "En-dash after 5:03 a.m. preserved from official page",
        "Corrected to exact fxtwitter display text."
      ],
      "characterCount": 156
    }
  ],
  "context": "Early on Monday, March 17, 2025, [two water main breaks struck Plymouth Road](https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2025/03/17/water-main-break-closes-stretch-of-plymouth-road-in-ann-arbor/) between Green Road and Huron Parkway in northeast Ann Arbor. The University of Michigan's Division of Public Safety and Security issued an initial emergency alert at 5:03 a.m. EDT and an update at 6:16 a.m. closing the road, then [canceled the alert at 10:58 a.m.](https://news.dpss.umich.edu/2025/03/5044) with the road remaining closed for repairs. The City of Ann Arbor issued a 48-hour precautionary boil water advisory for the affected northeast area; [testing found no contamination and the advisory was lifted March 19](https://www.michigandaily.com/news/news-briefs/boil-water-advisory-issued-for-northeast-ann-arbor-following-water-main-breaks/). Plymouth Road reopened to all lanes by the morning of March 18. The episode shows how a utility failure on a campus-adjacent arterial drives a multi-message alert sequence with a clear, timestamped cancellation.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "Two pre-dawn water main breaks on Plymouth Road triggered U-M emergency alerts at 5:03 a.m. and 6:16 a.m. EDT on March 17, 2025",
    "DPSS canceled the alert at 10:58 a.m. EDT while the road stayed closed for repairs",
    "A 48-hour Ann Arbor boil water advisory was lifted March 19 after testing found no contamination",
    "All three alert texts are honest reconstructions; the official wording could not be retrieved, so none is marked verbatim"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Boil water advisory issued around Plymouth Road in Ann Arbor following 2 main breaks - ClickOnDetroit",
      "url": "https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2025/03/17/water-main-break-closes-stretch-of-plymouth-road-in-ann-arbor/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "U-M Emergency Alert 03/17 - CANCELED - U-M Division of Public Safety & Security",
      "url": "https://news.dpss.umich.edu/2025/03/5044",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Boil water advisory issued for northeast Ann Arbor following water main breaks - The Michigan Daily",
      "url": "https://www.michigandaily.com/news/news-briefs/boil-water-advisory-issued-for-northeast-ann-arbor-following-water-main-breaks/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "U-M DPSS Emergency Alert 03/17/25 Water Main Break Canceled",
      "url": "https://dpss.umich.edu/news-and-alerts/emergency-alerts/u-m-emergency-alert-03-17-25-water-main-break-canceled/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "@umichdpss X — ALERT CANCELED",
      "url": "https://x.com/umichdpss/status/1901649946325238037",
      "type": "official-social"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "infrastructure-failure",
    "water-main",
    "boil-water-advisory",
    "michigan",
    "advisory"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-28",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-19",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}