BELLEVILLE, Ill. (KMOV.com) – All Illinois American Water customers in the Metro East are under a water conservation and boil order until further notice.
St. Clair County officials said the only people not affected are those who receive water from the Kaskaskia River.
Download the KMOV app for breaking news notifications Illinois American Water officials said they will also be switching treatment to “free chlorine,” which does not contain ammonia.
Senior Manager of Field Operations and Production Karen Cooper said the boil order and water conservation were issued after the continuous cold weather caused an increase in water main breaks and ice buildup at their East St. Louis water plant, which resulted in a loss of pressure across their distribution system.
“We want to thank our customers for adhering to these important water service changes.
The cold weather has posed challenging to our team and we are working around the clock to limit the impact to our customers.
Several restaurants around the Metro East are impacted by this boil order, causing some to shut down while others operate through the water restrictions.
said Teresa, a Fairview Heights resident, sarcastically on Wednesday when she learned about the boil order from Smoothie King.
"I’m easy to please," said John Turner, a customer who was not inconvenienced by the boil order affecting the drinks served at Tavern on Main.
Terry Mackin with Illinois American Water said the boil order is a precautionary measure when water pressure drops and is also a conservation effort to save water for fire emergencies.