Worth residents woke up Saturday to find their tap water on a temporary no-drink list, after an overnight break on the main supply line from the village water tower forced officials to slap a precautionary boil order across town. Public Works crews have fixed the line and restored pressure, but the village is still telling everyone to boil water before drinking it, and has not said when the advisory will be lifted.
What Officials Are Saying
The village reported that the outage started around 1 a.m. when a break hit the main supply line from the water tower, and a precautionary boil order was issued at 7:30 a.m., according to CBS Chicago. In a written alert to residents, the village said, "Public Works has made the necessary repairs and water service has been restored," while urging everyone to boil any water they plan to drink for at least five minutes. Officials added that tap water is still considered safe for showering and handwashing, but offered no timeline for when the all clear might come.
Where The Break Hit The System
Worth’s water department notes that the village receives treated Lake Michigan water from the City of Chicago, then pushes it through a local system that includes a pumping station, a one-million-gallon ground reservoir, and a 500,000-gallon elevated tower at 10934 S. Neenah. Those facilities feed a network of roughly 40 miles of potable mains, along with several feeder transmission lines that bring water into town. The Village of Worth details that setup on its water department page.
What Residents Should Do Now
Under the current advisory, Worth is asking residents to boil any drinking water for at least five minutes. That is stricter than federal guidance that typically calls for bringing tap water to a rolling boil for one minute to disinfect it. The CDC notes that a one-minute rolling boil will inactivate most pathogens during an emergency. Before the village can drop the boil order, the Illinois EPA requires local utilities to notify state emergency channels and complete water sampling and clearance procedures. The Illinois EPA lays out those reporting and testing steps for water suppliers, which will guide when Worth can safely end the advisory.
How Worth Fits Into A Regional Pattern
Worth is not alone in dealing with boil orders tied to main breaks this month. Cicero briefly issued its own advisory after a contractor damaged a water main, and Peoria rolled out a precautionary notice earlier in July. As CBS Chicago and 25News reported, those communities lifted their boil orders once repairs were complete and follow-up testing cleared the water. For now, Worth residents will have to keep the pots boiling and watch for updates from the village or the water department page.
