Aqua Illinois issues drinking water alert for customers in Will and Kankakee counties
Aqua Illinois has issued a drinking water alert for families in Will and Kankakee counties, warning tap water might not be safe to drink for some people.
The utility said samples taken at its Kankakee Water Treatment Plant showed high levels of nitrates, which could make it unsafe for infants under 6 months, pregnant women, and people with certain health conditions to drink.
"Aqua Illinois has never before experienced a nitrate exceedance at our Kankakee Water Treatment Plant," the company said. "It is our assessment that spring fertilization and recent rains caused elevated nitrate levels in the river. Because of the unprecedented nature of this incident, we will be providing bottled water to certain high-risk customers in the impacted service area."
The company said infants should not drink the water and bottled water should be used to prepare formula. Boiling the water will not reduce the nitrate level, and Aqua Illinois said excessive boiling can actually make the nitrates more concentrated.
Bottled water will be available for families with infants starting on Sunday between noon and 7 p.m. at three locations.
- 1000 S. Schuyler Ave., Kankakee, IL 60901
- 1737 E. Amberstone Rd., Manteno, IL 60950
- 24650 S Western Avenue, University Park, Il 60484
Water distribution will continue each day until the alert is lifted.
Municipalities Affected by this notice
- Kankakee Municipalities served: City of Kankakee, Village of Bourbonnais, Village of Aroma Park, Village of Bradley, Village of Grant Park, Village of Limestone, Village of Manteno, Village of Peotone, Village of University Park and portions of the townships of Limestone, Bourbonnais, Kankakee, Manteno, Otto, Rockville, St. Anne, Summer, Yellowhead and Aroma.
- Peotone Municipalities served: Village of Peotone
- University Park Municipalities served: Village of University Park, portions of Green Garden, Crete and Monee townships.
- For more information, Aqua Illinois customers can contact the utility at 877.987.2782.
