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Do you see our Water and Sewer vehicles in your neighborhood?

Often when you see Northville Township Water and Sewer vehicles, we are out in the community performing jobs such as upgrades to meter equipment, scouting for water-related issues, customer service or water and sewer line maintenance.  

We conduct meter reading in the months of January, March, May, July, September and November.  

Do you see flags in your yard or neighborhood? 

These colored flags mark utilities, part of the Michigan MISS Dig program.

Why does my water look cloudy?

Drinking water can sometimes appear cloudy or 'milky' when first drawn from the faucet. This is caused by air bubbles in the water. Water in our water mains is pressurized, as it needs to travel a distance to your home. Water under pressure holds more air than water that is not pressurized. Once water comes out of your faucet, the water is no longer under pressure and air rises to the top in the form of bubbles to be released. Tiny air bubbles will rise to the surface and the cloudy appearance will disappear.  

A simple test to make sure that the cloudiness is air, fill a glass and let the water glass stand untouched for a few minutes. If the cloudiness clears from the bottom of the glass upwards, the cloudiness was caused by air. 

Spring/Summer Maintenance Work Begins: 

Sewer Cleaning

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Our Northville Township DPW personnel will be performing sewer main cleaning from spring to fall.  The sanitary sewer lines are cleaned using high performance sewer cleaning equipment.  A cleaning nozzle is propelled from on manhole to the next using water under high pressure.  The nozzle is then pulled back to the starting manhole.  As the nozzle is pulled back, water scours the inside of the sanitary sewer pipe.  Any debris in the pipe is pulled back with the water.  The debris is removed from the manhole with a vacuum unit.  During cleaning of sanitary sewer lines, air occasionally vents into a home through the sanitary sewer service line and ventilation system.  When this happens, water in the toilet bowl can bubble or surge or, in rare instances, splash out of the bowl.  We remind you that the water that could come from this type of incident is from the bowl itself.  Therefore, during the scheduled cleaning period, it would be beneficial to make sure to keep the lid of your toilet bowl down to minimize the water splashing from your toilet. 

Storm Drains and Catch Basins

If you have a drain on your street or in the easement of your property, please clear drains of leaves and other debris. Clogged drains can create water ponding and other drainage issues this time of year.

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Common Area Irrigation Systems - Spring Activation

Our Department turned on the water at the curb boxes for common area irrigation systems Saturday, April 25, and Monday April 27, 2026. If the meter was not installed, the water was activated at the curb box but turned off at the first valve.  

Do you see water valve curb boxes rising from the ground or sidewalk?

In spring, as weather changes and the ground thaws, you may notice curb box caps that stick out of the ground or by sidewalks or driveways. Please call your office at (248) 348-5819 or email us with location. Northville Township DPW will be able to adjust these caps to be flush to the ground.

What are curb box caps? These caps cover the water shut off valves that turn off and on water service from the water main to your water service line.  These valves have an important function in turning off and on water to residential homes and commercial buildings in emergency situations.

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