'We're on edge': Robbins residents experiencing water disruptions - again

ROBBINS, Ill. - Residents in south suburban Robbins are no strangers to water disruptions, but Friday's came with unsettling moments as the tower overhead sprung a leak. 

"We’re on edge—we don’t know when the next break or catastrophe is going to happen," said Robbins Mayor Darren Bryant. 

Unfortunately for the 4,600 people who live there, there is no simple fix.

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The village’s aging water infrastructure dates back to the early 1900s and some estimates have the cost of a major overhaul at upwards of $40 million. 

According to Bryant Springfield, lawmakers are willing to help but only in drips and drabs. 

"We get two million here and hopefully next year we’ll get three more. What communities like (ours) and Dixmoor and other communities struggling with water issues need is a comprehensive water plan," said Springfield. 

Meanwhile, over in Dixmoor, Village President Fitzgerald Roberts said when he took office he never imagined the decayed pipes beneath his feet would crack, break and explode with such regularity. 

"Everyone is coming in and helping," says Roberts. "I appreciate everything they are doing for us, of course, we need more…the infrastructure here is very tired…it can only take so much." 

There are varying degrees of good news in both communities. 

The boil order in Robbins has been lifted while in Dixmoor, Roberts recently accepted a $14 million grant earmarked specifically for improvements to the water system.