Boil order in Crest Hill result of water main breaks

The city of Crest Hill on Sunday issued a boil order for all homes south of Caton Farm Road, which will likely be in place for several days.

According to interim Public Works Director for the city of Crest Hill Mike Eulitz, the boil order will not be lifted until the department finishes repairs on two water main breaks which occurred when Crest Hill’s water supply was used to fight a fire in Joliet over the weekend.

“Whenever you open a hydrant, you run the risk of a water main break occurring somewhere in the system,” said Eulitz. “We had one break Friday night, and the second occurred sometime between 3 and 4 a.m. on Saturday.”

The breaks dropped the water pressure in the impacted area to below 20 psi, which the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency standards require as the point to issue a boil order.

“The main runs under the creek, so it’s hard to say what will happen. Residents are probably looking at the boil order being lifted later this week at the earliest.”

—  Mike Eulitz, interim Public Works Director for the city of Crest Hill

Crest Hill is advising residents to boil water for at least 5 minutes before use for drinking and cooking. The city will notify residents when the boil order is lifted.

Eulitz said that crews are “working around the clock” to repair the water mains, and that, once the repairs are complete, the water will need to undergo testing to make sure it is safe for consumption.

“We’re hoping to get the repairs finished tomorrow, but it’s not a guarantee,” Eulitz said. “The main runs under the creek, so it’s hard to say what will happen. Residents are probably looking at the boil order being lifted later this week at the earliest. We hope it will be sooner, but they should probably anticipate being under the order for the rest of the week.”

The fire that caused the pressure drop broke out on Friday afternoon at BL Duke Scrap Metal Recycling Yard in Joliet.

The fire posed no danger to residents and no one was injured, said Joliet Fire Battalion Chief Victor Stachelski, who was with other firefighters at BL Duke Scrap Metal Recycling Yard, 2 Genstar Lane, Joliet.

Smoke could be seen for miles and fire crews from Joliet, Lockport Township Fire Protection District and other departments were at the scene extinguishing the fire into late Saturday morning.

Residents with questions about the boil order can call Crest Hill Public Works at 815-741-5108.