Break in water pipe fixed, but it may take days for water pressure to return to normal in Dixmoor
Officials in south suburban Dixmoor on Sunday said a water main break that cut water service to residents had been repaired but warned that water pressure wouldn’t return to normal until turbines were also repaired.
Residents found themselves without water Saturday after their water pressure fell to half its normal rates, according to the village.
Water pressure levels need to be in the range of 35 to 36 pounds of pressure per square inch to service Dixmoor, which is about 18 miles south of downtown Chicago, but the pressure levels fell to single digits at “various times” throughout the emergency, the village said.
On Sunday, village officials said the broken main in neighboring Harvey had been repaired but that a return to normal pressure could take days. “Right now, we are waiting for the pressure to build back up, but we won’t have full pressure until the turbines we use to add water pressure are repaired,” Dixmoor Village President Fitzgerald Roberts said in a statement. “We will have engineers on site tomorrow to diagnose the problems with the turbines.”
The pressure issues are part of ongoing water concerns for Dixmoor, the village said. Last Thursday, the Village Board declared a state of emergency.
“We know the water problems present an emergency situation for our residents and business owners. We know this is an emergency and we are doing everything we can to resolve it,” Roberts said in a written statement. “The Village Board, Village Clerk and the Village staff — we are all working around the clock.”
The village is continuing to supply bottled water to residents. The city of Harvey is the only water provider for Dixmoor, the village said.
Twitter @paigexfry
