As Waukegan has repeatedly experienced single-digit temperatures followed a few days later by readings 20 to 30 degrees higher, the likelihood of water main breaks followed by boil-water orders has increased significantly.
Antonio Dominguez, the city’s director of water utilities, said the temperature shifts are the primary reason for a rash of water main breaks since the start of the year. When a fracture occurs, a boil-water order is mandated.
“It’s dependent on the weather, and how the dirt freezes and thaws out,” Dominguez said. “When the ground thaws, it expands and moves the pipes. When the pipe moves, it can fracture.”
Water mains burst seven times in January throughout Waukegan, including five between Monday and Thursday at a variety of locations throughout the city, with repairs done and boil orders lifted usually in a day.
This activity is fairly normal for the middle of winter. Dominguez said last January there were 18 water main breaks. Most of the time the break is beneath a street and digging is required to restore the pipe, which can be as wide as 16 inches or as narrow as 4 inches.
Breaks are usually detected when there is water on a street. Sometimes, help is needed to find the precise location to avoid excess digging in the roadway, and to minimize the inconvenience to the residents in the area.
“We’ll call out a contractor with a breathing device before we start digging,” Dominguez said. “Most of the time, they find right where it is.”
When the main cracks, Dominguez said the water pressure decreases. Anytime it falls below 20 pounds, an order is issued requiring residents to boil water before drinking it. Bathing is permissible. The order usually lasts 48 hours.
“After it’s fixed, we have to send a sample and have it tested,” Dominguez said. “It’s usually OK in 24 hours.”
Though temperatures were expected to climb above 40 degrees Friday, by Sunday sub-zero temperatures are forecast and are expected to remain through Tuesday. By Thursday, highs in the 20s are anticipated.
David Motley, the city’s director of public relations, said people should be prepared if a main breaks and a boil-water order is issued. They should also anticipate work crews on streets as the fluctuating temperatures continue.
“We encourage people to be ready,” Motley said. “If they see a crew, they should slow down. The (workers) are working pretty hard and the work is exhausting.”
There was a water main break in the 1200 and 1300 block of Golf Road Thursday and two Wednesday — one on Prescott Street between 8th and 9th streets, and the other on Martin Avenue between Washington and Monroe streets.
A break occurred on Jackson Street, between Cummings Avenue and May Street, Monday with another the same day in the 2100 block of Ernie Krueger Circle. There was an incident in the 2600 and 2700 blocks of Grand Avenue on Jan. 8, and another in the 500 and 600 blocks of Jude Avenue on Jan. 7.
