A Michigan township had to issue a water advisory following state officials reporting a “security breach” on Monday morning at one of the local water treatment plants.
The local sheriff’s department warned people who live in Sylvan Township via a post on social media that there was a “Do Not Drink Water Advisory” in place after an “incident” occurred at the Sylvan Township Water Treatment Plant.
The township is in Washtenaw County, and is about 20 miles from the city of Ann Arbor, where the University of Michigan is located.
That afternoon, the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office then posted a second announcement, saying officials “discovered a security breach of the water treatment plan Monday morning” and that “damage was done to the interior of the plant including tampering of the controls system.”
The announcement, which was posted on Facebook, continued:
“There is evidence of other attempts to damage local infrastructure. Township officials are working with local law enforcement and state officials to investigate. There is no visual evidence the water was contaminated, but testing needs to be done to confirm.”
On the social media platform X, the Michigan State Police posted that troopers had to be dispatched to that water treatment plant around 7 a.m. Eastern time on Monday after employees called to report a break-in at the plant.
Responding officers observed a suspect leaving the water treatment plant, and they took a report of the entire incident.
The suspect, who is a 33-year-old male from the city of Belleville, Michigan, was arrested as he was leaving the building, police said.
They added that it appeared that he “gained entry onto the property by cutting through a barbed wire fence.” He is facing numerous criminal charges and is currently being housed in the Washtenaw County Jail.
Michigan State Police described the alleged situation:
“Upon making entry into the building he spray-painted the windows in what appeared to be an attempt to not be seen in the building. He also created a makeshift bed from items in the building.”
While the water advisory is in place, residents who get their water at home from the treatment plant in Sylvan Township are told that they shouldn’t use the tap water for drinking. They also shouldn’t use it when they’re brushing their teeth, cooking and/or preparing food, making ice or even giving it to their pets.
Instead, affected residents have been told that it’s best to use bottled water for all of these things until officials lift the water advisory.
The county sheriff’s office posted online:
“Please notify the township water officials … promptly if you notice any changes in the quality of your water. If you have noticed any suspicious activity related to tampering with public infrastructure in the community, please contact local law enforcement.”
Attacks on infrastructure across the U.S. has become a bigger concern in recent years. Much of those concerns revolve around cybersecurity attacks that could cause major disruptions at systems such as power grids, though this attack seems to a manual “smash-and-grab” act committed by one lone actor.