Water main break dampens Christmas spirits in west suburban Bellwood
BELLWOOD, Ill. (CBS) -- People in Bellwood will be celebrating the Christmas holiday with potentially unclean water. The entire village is being told to boil their water before drinking it or cooking with it.
The warning was issued Saturday, but the news came as a surprise to some people who spoke with CBS 2's Noel Brennan. But the village says it posted information on its website and sent an automated call from the mayor to more than 9,000 people, whose Christmas dinner just got more complicated.
"Not only am I cooking for my family, I'm cooking food for my sister's house," said Viola Lashley.
The menu is planned, but she can't make up her mind.
"I don't know what I should do," she said.
She was stuck at the counter on Christmas Eve with a dilemma.
"I'm getting ready to cook my dinner for tomorrow and guess what? I didn't know it was a boil order, so I'm really, really upset about that," she said.
Early Saturday morning, cold weather led to two water main breaks in Bellwood and froze equipment in the water tower.
Mayor Andre Harvey said half the town lost water, and the other half had low water pressure. It was so low the Environmental Protection Agency requires it to be tested, but that can't happen until Tuesday.
"I was just getting ready to cut my greens, wash my greens, cook my greens for tomorrow," Lashley said.
For now she and the rest of the town have to boil their water before cooking.
"A whole lot of water, because I want to make sure the greens are clean," she said. "I just spent a pretty good penny on the food that I got today."
The mayor said some residents were without water for about four hours Saturday. The boil order will remain in effect until at least Tuesday.