Bellwood lifts boil water order
CHICAGO (CBS) -- After Bellwood residents were told on Christmas Eve to boil water their water, village officials say the order is now lifted.
Bellwood got clearance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to lift the boil water order. According to the village, the EPA "tested water 29 samples provided by Bellwood that were collected from locations around the village. The boil order could not be lifted until the village received clearance from the EPA."
The village said last week's cold weather caused two water main breaks. Half of the village lost water completely and the other half had only low pressure.
"That was something I didn't expect, especially around the holidays," said Bellwood resident Tasha Taylor.
She has lived in the Village of Bellwood for nine years. She said this boil order was a drastic change for her family during the holidays.
"I never experienced anything like this. It has been very hard this year," she said.
This year, Taylor didn't cook Christmas dinner because of potentially tainted water. The Village of Bellwood said frozen equipment in the water tower impacted at least 9,000 residents in the west suburban town.
Although her water was running, she still had to boil it.
"My little boy takes baths. I have a six-year-old. He don't take showers. So he takes baths. So I have to sit and boil water for him. It's just, it's not comfortable," Taylor said.