Boil water order lifted in Dixmoor a day after major water main break repaired

A boil water order has been lifted in south suburban Dixmoor, after a major water main break affected more than half of the village's homes earlier this week.

An 8-inch water main broke on 139th Street between Dixie Highway and Thornton Road on Sunday, according to Dixmoor VIllage President Fitzgerald Roberts. The water main break left more than half the village with little or no water pressure until the pipe was repaired around 2:30 a.m. on Monday.

The village issued a boil water order after the repairs were completed, but on Tuesday afternoon, officials said the boil order had been lifted.

Dixmoor has suffered from problems with its water infrastructure for years.

The serious water issues in Dixmoor were in the headlines as far back as 2021, as multiple main breaks resulted in boil orders, schools shutting down, and unreliable water pressure.

Officials expect a permanent fix will be made to the water infrastructure in the spring. 

While Dixmoor village officials completed a $2 million water main project in 2024, officials warned it would not fix the entire system. The new main was just a start, an "artery," and the village said it still had to replace the "veins." 

Fitzgerald has said some pipes are more than 100 years old, and fully replacing them could cost $30 million to $50 million.

He has said he hopes the funding for those replacements would come from the federal government or the state, because, "Dixmoor doesn't have it."