Boil order lifted for thousands of residents on the Southwest Side

By Sun-Times Media Wire
Updated  May 7, 2021 9:26am CDT
Sun-Times Media Wire
Loading Video…

This browser does not support the Video element.

CHICAGO - A boil order issued for thousands of people on the Southwest Side has been lifted after officials determined the water is safe to drink.

Water samples tested by the Department of Water Management verified the water is safe to drink, department spokeswoman Megan Vidis said in a statement Friday morning.

The boil order was issued Thursday afternoon as a precaution after a 110-year-old pumping station in Roseland shut down for about an hour on Thursday, according to Richard Guidice, executive director of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 32 NEWS APP FOR BREAKING ALERTS

The outage largely affected people in the Morgan Park and Beverly neighborhoods, officials said, adding that the cause was being investigated.

The boil order was issued "out of an abundance of caution" while the water was being tested, according to Andrea Chang, deputy commissioner for the Department of Water Management.

The Department of Water Management advised residents in the affected areas to take the following steps now that the boil order has been lifted:

  • Flush all faucets. Run all cold-water faucets for 5 minutes. Instructions for intensive flushing can be found at: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/water/supp_info/winter-weather-and-your-water-system.html
  • Flush drinking fountains by continuously running for 5 minutes.
  • Flush automatic icemakers. Make 3 batches of ice and discard all 3 batches.
  • Drain and refill hot water tanks.
  • If you have a water softener, run water through a regeneration cycle.
  • If you have a point of use or inline water filters, sediment and/or Reverse Osmosis systems perform the recommended filter change or back-wash in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications.
  • Drain reservoirs in large buildings that have water-holding reservoirs.
  • Flush water coolers: run coolers with direct water connections for 5 minutes.
  • Re-start and flush any water-using fixture in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications.

For questions, residents can contact the Water Quality Surveillance Section at (312) 744-8190 or call 311.