Crews working to repair water main break, impacting half of community in Dixmoor, Illinois
Crews are working to repair a water main break that is impacting more than half of the community in the south Chicago suburb of Dixmoor on Sunday night.
In a statement, Dixmoor Village President Fitzgerald Roberts said an 8-inch water main broke on 139th Street between Dixie Highway and Thornton Road.
The water main is a major line for delivery in Dixmoor, the village said.
Roberts was seen handing out water, not his first time surveying the damage after a water main break in the course of the last week.
"This is break number six, I believe this week," he said.
Crews began working on the break on Sunday afternoon.
This comes only three days after another water main break in Dixmoor flooded roads and forced school closures. On Thursday morning, a water main ruptured at 146th Street and Seeley Avenue. The main was repaired by Thursday afternoon.
Roberts said he understands the way customers feel about the ongoing issues.
"All of us are in the same boat with this," he said. "I know the residents are frustrated, but I pray that they continue to hold on, and continue to have faith in God and faith in us that we're gonna get this problem solved."
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, after multiple main breaks resulted in boil orders, schools shutting down, and unreliable water pressure.
In September 2024, the village celebrated the completion of a $2 million project to install a new and larger water main in the village. But as Village President Fitzgerald Roberts explained at the time that the new main, funded by an expensive federal lifeline, was just an "artery," and the village still had to replace the "veins."
The $2 million price tag was just a drop in the bucket.
"We're probably looking at anywhere from about $40 to $50 million to kind of get it going a little bit more," Roberts said at the time.
Two years ago, there was even a water main break in the same location as the Thursday break.
