Boil order in place for Dixmoor, Illinois until at least Tuesday after water main break repaired

The latest Dixmoor water main break has been repaired as of early Monday morning, a day after it began impacting more than half of the village's homes. 

A boil water order is now in place for the south suburb in the wake of the repairs. Officials have not put an official estimate on how long that boil order will last, but expect it to continue at least through Tuesday afternoon. 

The Village of Dixmoor said repairs were completed around 2:30 a.m. 

In a statement Sunday, Dixmoor Village President Fitzgerald Roberts said an 8-inch water main broke on 139th Street between Dixie Highway and Thornton Road on Sunday. The water main break left more than half the village with low water pressure or no service at all.

Even as officials handed out bottled water, some residents said with the persistent water issues, they never drink the water from their faucets anymore. 

Fitzgerald said this was the sixth water main break in just the past week.

Last Thursday morning, another water main break in Dixmoor flooded roads and forced school closures less than 10 minutes from the scene of the water main break on Sunday. The water main in that incident ruptured at 146th Street and Seeley Avenue, and was repaired by Thursday afternoon.

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.

"Pretty much all of us are in the same boat," said Fitzgerald. "I know the residents are frustrated, but I pray that they continue to hold on, continue to have faith in God, and faith in us that we're going to this problem solved."

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

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