Suburban Chicago residents warned about lead in tap water

UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill. (AP) - Residents of Chicago's southern suburbs have been warned about higher than normal lead levels in tap water.

Aqua Illinois, which serves University Park as well as Green Garden and Monee townships, has advised residents this weekend to use bottled water as the utility worked to flush its entire water systems.

In a statement, Aqua Illinois said it is moving swiftly to identify the cause of the elevated levels, but do not believe it is related to infrastructure. The affected towns, which formally relied on well water, switched to Kankakee River water last year.

The advisory warned residents not to drink, cook or use their tap water for brushing teeth, but to use bottled water instead. Aqua Illinois offered residents in the area free water-testing kits.