Deerfield Lifts Water Boil Order

Deerfield lifted the boil order imposed Monday afternoon restricting water use in the Village at 11:20 a.m. today allowing all normal use, according to a news release from the Village.

“Residents and businesses are advised that water can be used in a regular manner,” the Village said in the release. “The Village conducted a series of water tests since Monday afternoon and all samples have come back clear of any fecal coliform.”

Though the water is safe to use, the Lake County Health Department advises people to flush all water lines in their buildings and clean faucet screens, according to the release. Residents and businesses should also purge all water-using fixtures and appliances like coffee makers and refrigerator ice makers.

The Village also recommends the following actions which are posted on the Village website and suggested by the Center for Disease Control:

When the boil water advisory is cancelled

• Flush pipes and faucets. Run cold water faucets continuously for at least 5 minutes.
• Flush water coolers. Run coolers with direct water connections for 5 minutes.
• Flush home automatic ice makers. Make three batches of ice cubes and discard all three batches.
• Run water softeners through a regeneration cycle.
• Drain and refill hot water heaters set below 113°F.
• Change all point-of-entry and point-of-use water filters, including those associated with equipment that uses water.

All preliminary tests conducted over the last two days indicated the water was clear.

The source of the contamination has not been precisely located but Andrew Lichterman, assistant to the village manager, said it could come from a number of places.

“We’re continuing to investigate,” Lichterman said. “It could have come from increased runoff, a break in the system or a bad sample.” He said there are no breaks in the system now and none were discovered since the Village learned of the contamination.

Though there was no problem with water in Highland Park—Deerfield buys its water from its eastern neighbor—the Village takes the water into its own filtration plant before distributing it to customers. “We further treat it and chlorinate it,” Lichterman said.

Monday’s boil order was the only time in the memory of Village officials the water supply has been contaminated in the face of continued testing. That span is at least 20 years, according to Lichterman.

“We test the water five times a week and send it to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency),” Lichterman said. “They review the tests.” The most recent test came back Monday showing contamination and the Village acted immediately to put the boil order in place.

Mayor Harriet Rosenthal said she cannot remember a Village-wide boil order or a contamination of the water supply in the more than 40 years she has lived in Deerfield. She has been a trustee or mayor for more than 28 of them.

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