2 Dixmoor schools forced to close after series of water main breaks in village

Water main breaks continued to plague areas of Dixmoor on Monday, with a break forcing the closure of two of three schools serving the south suburb.

Over the weekend the village experienced three breaks, then another main broke on Monday, which prompted the closure of a grade school and middle school, according to the village.

The most recent break occurred at 2011 W. 147th Street, and a portion of village homes were affected but officials hoped repairs would be completed sometime Monday, according to Travis Akin, a village spokesman.

“We are working around the clock to get this break fixed,” Dixmoor Mayor Fitzgerald Roberts said in a news release.

Toward the end of July, all 3,500 residents of Dixmoor were without water after two major water main breaks forced the shutdown of the villagewide system that distributes Lake Michigan water to homes and businesses.

The most recent break isn’t producing as widespread of an impact, but those residents currently affected would be under a boil order once the leak is fixed, Akin said.

He said officials with Harvey-Dixmoor School District 147, which operates the schools that had to close, and the village are in close communication regarding the status of the repair and whether schools will be able to open Tuesday.

During the July break, bottles of water were distributed at Village Hall, but the current “crisis hasn’t risen to that level yet,” but could if repairs take longer than anticipated, he said.

Last October, Dixmoor homes and businesses were without clean drinking water following a water line break, and the issue wasn’t resolved until the beginning of November.

This past April, village and other officials announced a $2 million project, funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which will result in a new water line that will replace an aging line and help improve water flow to homes. The corps will oversee the project, with construction getting started by spring of next year.

Akin said the latest water main breaks are “just symptomatic of old infrastructure” in Dixmoor.

The mayor said he is reaching out to Cook County and state officials for help in getting a permanent fix.

“We need help and we need it now,” Roberts said. “These breaks and disruptions in service need to stop.”

mnolan@tribpub.com