The taps can run clear and fear-free again in a South Chicago suburb, where officials declared the water safe on Friday after a rash of water main breaks wreaked havoc earlier in the week. As reported by CBS, residents of Dixmoor can now drink straight from the faucet following confirmation that the water is no longer a health hazard. The order had put locals on edge since Wednesday and spanned an area from 141st Street to 144th Street, and from Woods Street to Marshfield Street.

The string of infrastructural failures left the Dixmoor community on its toes, with no less than four water main breaks occurring this week. Village President Fitzgerald Roberts stated that repairs were tackled with urgency, however, the boil order had to persist until officials were certain the water posed no danger. "The test results confirmed the water is safe," Roberts said, easing the minds of his constituents.

Frustration over the town's aging pipes was palpable. In an interview with WGN-TV, Roberts spelled out the dire need for an infrastructure overhaul, "Once again, we have another example of how these old pipes are in desperate need of being replaced," he observed, "We have come a long way from where we were but clearly, there is more work to be done." The original issue began with a break on the 14000 block of North Paulina Street, which set off a chain reaction, leading to more breaks and a sustained order for water boiling while repairs were underway.

Dixmoor residents had braced for a longer stint of inconvenience, yet the repair teams delivered a quicker fix than anticipated. Though Roberts had cautioned that the boil order would endure until testing could ensure safety, the sigh of relief came promptly with the lifting of the order Friday, signaling a return to normalcy after the disruptions shook this small part of Chicago.