THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 2008
Water Situation All Clear In Buffalo Grove
Buffalo Grove residents were ordered to boil their water last Friday when village staff members believed they found bacteria in the water supply.
The boil was lifted approximately 24 hours later after another test determined the water was safe to drink and use after all.
According to David Haisma, supt. of Utility Operations, the village conducts approximately 50 water tests a month throughout the year.
The village said the initial test on Friday appeared to have been a false positive and the water is, and has always been, safe to consume.
Friday's test showed that fecal coliform bacteria was in the water supply, which can cause sickness, especially for people with weakened immune systems.
"We had every intention on testing the water again on Saturday, but instead of waiting for the results, we told residents to boil their water until we knew for sure," said Haisma. "Safety is our priority and we needed to boil our water just to be safe."
Haisma added that incidents like this are not very common in Buffalo Grove, but they have happened before.
Between Friday and Saturday, Haisma said he and his staff received hundreds of phone calls from residents with concerns and questions.
According to the village, bacterial contamination can be caused by increased run-off entering the drinking water source, or a break in the distribution system or pipes, failure in the water treatment process, or cross-connection.
Buffalo Grove receives its water supply through the Northwest Water Commission, which also serves residents in Arlington Hts., Palatine and Wheeling. Haisma said even if Buffalo Grove's water was found to be contaminated, the other three neighboring towns would have not been affected.