Hydrants, Hoses Aid Some Elgin Residents With Frozen Pipes
ELGIN (CBS) -- Imagine not having water for weeks.
That's what more than three dozen homeowners in Elgin are dealing with.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports.
A fire hydrant is the main source of water for one Elgin apartment building.
A sign warns residents not to turn the laundry room faucet off, so that the water lines don't freeze.
Since the end of January, several underground water service lines have frozen in Elgin. Thirty-nine homes were temporarily without water.
"What we're doing is hooking people to their neighbors, so that they can have water, and we're praying for some sunshine hitting the dark asphalt and hoping for the frost to abate," Elgin Water Director Kyla Jacobsen says.
Derek Webber lives in what's now being called a "donor" home. A hose snakes all the way from his house to grateful neighbor Lindsey Ritacco's home.
"I know how it is. Back when I was in college I lived in an apartment that never had water in the winter," Webber says.
Ritacco says previously her husband had to bring water from Arlington Heights – 50 gallons to 60 gallons at a time.
"It's been a lot to deal with, but thankfully, we've made it through," she says.
All of the donor homes are not being billed for water.
The city has also created a database for all of the homes impacted, so next year, each homeowner will be reminded to run their water at a trickle, to avoid a repeat.