Water main break displaces residents of Schaumburg condo building a second time this month
For a second time this month, a break to a private water main displaced residents of a 143-unit condominium building in Schaumburg for an unknown amount of time as repairs are made.
Both instances occurred at 1463 Mercury Drive in the Country Lane Park Condominiums, near the intersection of Irving Park Road and Fairfield Drive. The latest occurred Tuesday.
Village crews first responded Aug. 6 for a break on the private service line coming into the building that caused damage to the nearest first-floor units, Schaumburg Communications Director Allison Albrecht said.
But water to the entire building was shut off and not restored until repairs were completed the following week.
A second break on the same service line occurred Tuesday, causing crews to again shut off water and declare the building temporarily uninhabitable.
“The homeowners association is in the process of replacing the line, which necessitates an excavation of the line to perform the repair,” Albrecht said. “Work is currently underway with the service line installation anticipated to begin Aug. 26.”
She added village staff is continuing to monitor the work being done to ensure inspections are completed and all requirements are met before water is restored and occupancy allowed.
Brian Lynch, community association manager for the Country Lane Park Condominiums, said Friday the cause of the break is unknown as is repair time.
Residents, property owners and their associates who returned to the building Friday morning to assess the situation declined to comment.
One displaced resident, Mandy Mortel, posted a complaint about the two successive breaks on Facebook but didn’t immediately respond to a request for further comment.
“The building has been deemed uninhabitable and will remain this way for at least the next 14 DAYS!” Mortel posted Thursday. “We were already without water for 10 days. Now another 2 weeks?!”
In her post, Mortel reported that an email received from building management Wednesday night explained the second break occurred just a few feet away the previous repair.
“How is this possible? What went wrong the first time?” she asked. “And who made the decision not to replace the pipe in the first place? We need answers and we need our homes back.”