Water main breaks in Dixmoor, the latest of nearly 15 in a month, village president says

A water line through a main thoroughfare in Dixmoor broke Thursday, the latest in a series of nearly 15 line breaks this month affecting the south suburb, Village President Fitzgerald Roberts said.

The Illinois Department of Transportation announced a road closure on Wood Street between 141st and 143rd streets due to the break.

Roberts said water has not been shut off in the village, but added that officials won’t know the severity of the break until repair efforts break ground. Water began rising up on Wood Street Thursday morning and is continuing to leak, he said.

“It’s got to be pretty rough, anytime it comes through all the concrete and asphalt,” he said.

He said crews will open ground on Saturday morning, which will involve closing additional sections of Wood Street. The area’s water pressure is being closely monitored, Roberts said, and the village has bottled water ready to give out to residents if needed.

For the last month, the village has been on alert, preparing for the next situation, he said.

On Aug. 30, 1,000 residents of the village were without water due to at least six water main breaks in the area. Several village schools canceled classes.

The water supply problems are due to aging infrastructure, Roberts said. The pipes have small holes that can eventually lead to a pipe’s collapse, he said.

“The infrastructure is completely decayed,” he said.

[ Dixmoor water systems suffers multiple breaks, at least 1,000 residents without clean supply ]

In April, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced a $2 million project for a new water line in the area, with construction set to start in the spring of 2023. But Roberts said Dixmoor hasn’t received any of that funding.

Several south suburban neighborhoods are experiencing leaking pipes and rising water bill costs. Dixmoor’s crisis last October brought attention to this issue, retiring Cook County Commissioner Deborah Sims said at a news conference in April.

Roberts said he hopes for the state to declare the village a disaster area to receive emergency funding and additional resources for replacing the pipes.

“I’m not saying we’re the only suburbs that need them, but we’re the one that’s having the most problems right now, where everything’s just busting and falling apart,” Roberts said.