FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions
After a boil water order is lifted, several steps should be taken inside your home:
1. Flush your plumbing system by running all cold-water faucets ONE AT A TIME for at least 5 minutes each. This helps remove any potentially contaminated water from your pipes.
2. Filters should be replaced AFTER flushing: a. Replace disposable water filters, especially carbon filters, as they may have been contaminated during the boil order. This includes filters in refrigerators, under-sink systems, and other filtration devices. Consider purchasing filters online. b. For reverse osmosis (RO) systems, replace the pre-filters and check the owner’s manual for any additional steps.
3. Run water softeners through a regeneration cycle.
4. Dump existing ice from ice makers and run through 1-2 batches of new ice cubes, discarding each batch.
5. Clean and sanitize appliances connected to your water supply, like dishwashers, coffee makers and soda dispensers.
6. Once per home: Flush the hot water tank, drain from the bottom of the tank to remove sediment.
7. No action is needed for a toilet.
You should run water from every faucet in your home to ensure all pipes are flushed. The duration may vary depending on your home’s plumbing system, but generally, 5 minutes per faucet is recommended. If you have a large or complex plumbing system, you may need to flush for longer. By taking these steps, you can help ensure your home’s water system is clean and safe after the boil order is lifted.
The IEPA sets the requirements to remove the boil order, and those requirements have been met.
There is no way to definitively state that the tests were contaminated. The Village strongly believes this was the case and has filed an official complaint with Pace for further investigation.
No. This notice is only for the west side public water system. Testing of private wells is not required, but reccommended periodically to insure your safety.
Various actions have taken place and are currently being implemented:
- Water holding tanks in Woods Creek and Meadows of West Bay have been cleaned
- Flushing frequency has been increased to ensure mains are as clean as possible
- Hydrant replacements has been underway across the system to ensure flushing is as thorough as possible. Completion planned for later this summer.
- Meadows of West Bay filters are undergoing rebuild. This process replaces the filter materials within filter housings so they may more effectively filter water coming from well pumps. We are switching from sand to anthracite filter material to more effectively remove iron from the water supply.
Robinson Engineering has consulted with another external firm and made the decision to purge well #4 "to waste" for a number of hours. Testing samples will then be retaken to determine if the detection from 7/24 testing was the result of the well being offline for a period of time.
The Village is considering a partnership with Everbridge to utilize Nixel for resident notifications.
It is the Village's opinion that this issue was not contaminated water, but rather related to test contamination with the prior lab. To address this concern, the Village has made the decision in concert with Robinson Engineering to change laboratory providers.
Free Chlorine (CL) levels in the system have been above required levels to effectively kill all bacteria. Beyond the proper CL levels - after receiving our first and second sets of failed tests, we consulted with the various sources for possible next steps. Getting a second source for the testing was the first recommendation. With no changes to the system, simply changing testing providers has eliminated the contaminants in the results.
The Village meters water usage and hasn't observed much of a reduction in usage. However, we fully understand the inconvenience this has caused our residents. Therefore, the Board will discuss and further consider this question at the first meeting in August.