Officials in suburban Detroit say football fans showed restraint during the Super Bowl to help keep a gigantic sinkhole from getting worse.  Macomb County public works chief Candice Miller warned Friday that thousands of football fans flushing toilets at halftime Sunday night could overwhelm a broken sewer line blamed for the sinkhole.

But the Associated Press reports she told radio station WWJ everything went OK on Sunday and that she believes efforts to conserve water in the affected communities "made the difference."

Crews are building a bypass to get around the broken sewer line in Fraser, but it's not ready yet. The line affects more than 300,000 people in 11 communities. The station says some people held back on flushing and some restaurants used paper plates to curb dishwashing water use.

The sinkhole, measuring 250 feet by 100 feet, opened Dec. 24, condemning three houses and affecting more.  The governor has authorized $100,000 grants to local governments in forced to handle sinkhole damages.

 

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