Boil order in effect in Hawthorn Woods, Forest Lake and Glennshire
Lake County officials have issued a boil order for homes in Hawthorn Woods, Forest Lake, and Glennshire after a power outage shut down electrical service at an important water well pump, officials said Friday.
Austin McFarlane, spokesman for the Lake County Public Works, said the AQUA Well Station that feeds water to about 300 homes lost power "for a couple of hours" in the morning.
The power outage caused the water system to lose pressure, which could have resulted in unsanitary water conditions, McFarlane explained.
"When you lose system pressure, you have the potential for the system to be contaminated," he said. "Nonsanitary water could infiltrate the system, so testing needs to be done to make sure the water is clean."
Electrical service was restored to the well pump station Friday morning, McFarlane said, and water testing started almost immediately. However, the testing takes about 24 hours to complete, so the boil order is in effect through Saturday, he said.
Lake Zurich Unit District 95 officials said in a news release that students attending Middle School North and Spencer Loomis Elementary School in the affected area received bottled water throughout the day.
The officials said no tap water was used in food preparation for lunch, and drinking fountains in the building were turned off. The water in the schools was safe for hand washing, but the bathroom sinks were turned off as an added precaution, the release stated.
Residents are advised to use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation. To safely boil water: bring water to a boil, boil for 3 minutes, and let it cool before use, officials said.
If it is determined that no health issue exists, the boil order will be removed. Aqua will contact customers when the boil order is removed.
For more information, contact Aqua Illinois at (877) 987-2782, or email publicworks@lakecountyil.gov or the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.