SILVIS, Ill. — Update: The boil order has been lifted as of Saturday afternoon.
A water main break in Silvis Friday morning has been repaired and the town's fire chief said the break was caused by a natural increase in water pressure from the water tower, not the recent hook-up to Moline's water system.
Many residents in Silvis were without water Friday morning following a water main break, according to Silvis Fire Department Chief and Emergency Management Director John Winters.
As of Friday afternoon, the water main has been repaired and all residents should have water. A boil order is in place until Saturday afternoon, according to Winters. Residents may experience low water pressure over the weekend, but that is only temporary.
The yellow highlighted areas in the map below are the areas that are impacted by the break:
The City of Moline reported that there was a "major failure" in the Silvis water system piping at the intersection of 14th Street and Crosstown Avenue early Thursday morning.
"This leak caused storage and pressure to be deleted, which has caused decreased water pressure for some Silvis water customers," said Communications Coordinator Tory Brecht in an email to media.
This comes just one day after Silvis hooked up to Moline's water supply. Winters clarified Friday afternoon that the hook-up "in no way caused" the water main break.
So, what caused the break?
Winters said the main that broke has had low water pressure for the last year and a half. That's because Silvis hadn't been using its water tower.
"When we switched to Moline water on Wednesday, we began using the water tower again. Because of the elevation of the tower, the water pressure naturally increased," Winters said in a press release Friday afternoon. "This could be the cause of the break. This break was in no way caused by the water that the city receives from Moline. It was most likely because of the natural increase of water pressure from the water tower."
The water main break has forced the clinics in the Larson Center on the Genesis Medical Center-Silvis campus to close on Friday.
Affected clinics include:
- Genesis Health Group, Silvis - OB/GYN
- Genesis Health Group, Silvis - Family Practice
- Genesis Health Group, Silvis - Surgical
- Genesis Health Group, Silvis - Pulmonary
- Genesis Health Group, Silvis - Pediatrics
Patients with appointments on March 10 should contact their provider's office to reschedule.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends residents in a town with a boil water advisory should either use bottled water or boil their tap water before use. This is because the water could have germs that can make people sick.
The CDC recommends the following:
Use bottled or boiled water for drinking and to prepare and cook food.
- If bottled water isn't available, bring water to a full rolling boil for at least one minute. Let the water cool before using it.
- Boil tap water even it if is filtered.
- Don't use water from any appliance connected to your water line, like ice and water from a refrigerator.
- If you have a baby and are able to, breastfeeding will be the best option to feed your infant. If you use formula, provide ready-to-use formula if possible.
- You can still wash your hands with the water. Make sure to scrub your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, then rinse them well. You can use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water aren't available.
- You can bathe in the water, but be careful not to swallow any of it. Use caution when bathing babies and young children.
- Brush your teeth with boiled or bottled water.
- Use disposable plates, cups and other eating utensils if possible.
- Pets can also get sick from some of the same germs. Give them bottled water or boiled water that has cooled.
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