Hawthorn Woods boil order lifted

A boil order issued for homes in Hawthorn Woods, Forest Lake, and Glennshire after a power outage shut down electrical service at a water well pump has been lifted, officials said Saturday.

Water sample testing conducted Saturday morning showed no contamination of Total Coliform or E. coli bacteria, according to a Lake County Public Works news release.

All affected properties are being notified, officials said.

On Friday, officials 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, said Austin McFarlane, spokesman for the Lake County Public Works.

"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.

Residents were advised to use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and food preparation.

For more information, contact Aqua Illinois at (877) 987-2782 or the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791 or email publicworks@lakecountyil.gov.