Days-long Hawthorn Woods boil order lifted after tests, village says

HAWTHORN WOODS, Ill. (WLS) -- The boil order impacting parts of Lake County, Illinois has been lifted.

People in Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer, and unincorporated Lake County had been relying on bottled water after a commercial leak caused the water pressure to drop.

Aqua Illinois said water quality tests show that the water is now safe for use.

The area's boil order had been in place since last week.

The parking lot of the Hawthorn Woods Aquatic Center was water central on Thursday.

The pool was closed, and most residents had been unable to shower or flush toilets for the previous five days. But, on Thursday, they were at least loading up on drinking water.

"It's been an adventure, showers, bathroom time; all that is out the window," Hawthorn Woods resident Scott Frebairn said.

"I am 100% out of water since the Fourth of July, 8 a.m. So, it's crazy, unbelievable," fellow resident Dalton Guencher said.

In addition to being without water, crews have dug a 13-foot deep hole in Guencher's front yard, as they work to repair the leak that is apparently related to the problems.

Aqua, the company that provides water to parts of Hawthorn Woods and Kildeer, said a commercial water leak on Sunday caused the initial pressure drop and workers have discovered additional leaks as they work to stabilize the system.

That, combined with increased water usage on the July Fourth holiday, led to the problems.

"Good-sized leak, which really hurt the system, in combination with demand, it was a perfect storm that depleted our system," said Jim Bilotta, with Aqua.

State Sen. Dan McConchie from the district is calling for an investigation to determine the exact cause of the problem and make sure it doesn't happen again.

"People have a right to good, clean drinking water, and that's been a problem for five days," McConchie said.

Some residents said they are also upset that the company had failed to communicate with them.

"Nobody offered anything. It was just kind of frustrating there was no support," Hawthorn Woods resident Leigh Van Heule said.

Aqua Illinois said it has set up a website to keep customers informed.

The video in the player above is from a previous report.