Important Message from Aqua Illinois
July 12, 2023
Lawn Watering Ban Lifted
The Village of Hawthorn Woods is in receipt of the following message from Aqua Illinois regarding their water system. This is for Aqua Illinois water customers only.
Dear AQUA Customer:
"After continuing to monitor our system closely, we are pleased to report that the stability continues to remain strong. As a result, as of 3:30 p.m. yesterday, we have lifted the lawn watering ban, as promised. Please return to the previous lawn sprinkling schedule for the summer season (see below).
Since Lake County also lifted its boil water advisory for local customers yesterday afternoon, we ended our bottled water distribution at the Hawthorn Woods Aquatic Center.
We apologize once again for the inconvenience and thank you again for your continued patience.
Please be sure to sign up for WaterSmart alerts here to receive regular updates on your water service.
Hawthorn Woods & Kildeer Lawn Sprinkling Schedule
- Homes with an address ending with an odd number may water on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Homes with an address ending with an even number may water on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.
- We ask customers to refrain watering between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on ALL watering days, as more water is lost to evaporation during this timeframe."
If you have any questions, please call Aqua Illinois at 877-987-2782.
July 9, 2023
Boil Water Advisory Lifted
The Village of Hawthorn Woods is in receipt of the following message from Aqua Illinois regarding their water system. This is for Aqua Illinois water customers only.
Dear AQUA Customer:
"As a result of our efforts we are lifting our boil water advisory, effective immediately. Water quality tests from a third-party lab indicate that our water is safe for use and meets the necessary approval by the Illinois EPA. We will lift the lawn watering ban in 48 hours. As a standard practice, we will continue to monitor our system’s stability.
We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your continued patience.
Please be sure to sign up for WaterSmart alerts here to receive regular updates on your water service."
If you have any questions, please call Aqua Illinois at 877-987-2782.
July 9, 2023
The Village of Hawthorn Woods is in receipt of the following message from Aqua Illinois regarding their water system. This is for Aqua Illinois water customers only.
Dear AQUA Customer:
"We continue to make progress and are pleased to report that our system is back to normal operating pressures. Water samples were submitted to a state-certified laboratory and we are now awaiting the testing results. If favorable, we will remove the Boil Water Advisory. We will provide an update later today on the results. Thank you again for your continued patience."
If you have any questions, please call Aqua Illinois at 877-987-2782.
July 8, 2023
Significant Leak Found and Under Repair
The Village of Hawthorn Woods is in receipt of the following message from Aqua Illinois regarding their water system. This is for Aqua Illinois water customers only.
Dear AQUA Customer:
"We discovered and isolated what we assess to be a significant leak in our system at the property of Spencer Loomis Elementary School. This is an important milestone, and our water pressure and reserves are both improving. We will next collect the water samples that are needed for testing and submittal to regulatory authorities to remove the Boil Water Advisory.
The Boil Water Advisory remains in effect until at least the end of the weekend. We will share more updates on a specific targeted end date as we move through the testing process. For more details about how Boil Water Advisories work, click here. Thank you again for your continued patience and flexibility."
If you have any questions, please call Aqua Illinois at 877-987-2782.
July 8, 2023
Boil Water Advisory Information
The Village of Hawthorn Woods is in receipt of the following message from Aqua Illinois regarding their water system. This is for Aqua Illinois water customers only.
Dear AQUA Customer:
"Sometimes, due to adverse weather conditions, infrastructure updates or other changes to your water service, Aqua may issue a precautionary boil advisory. Aqua issues precautionary boil advisories through our usual channels of communication, like our website and WaterSmart Alerts, a system that automatically sends notifications about water quality and service issues to impacted Aqua customers.
WHY ARE THESE ADVISORIES ISSUED?
An advisory is put out after Aqua has had to shut the system down for emergency repairs, such as a main break or a well pump replacement. When the system is shut down, there is the potential of bacteria to enter the water. It is very unlikely that there will be an issue, but these advisories are put in place in an abundance of caution.
WHAT WATER NEEDS TO BE BOILED?
This information is based on recommendations from the Lake County Health Department and Community Center:
- Bottled water should be used for drinking, cooking, washing fresh fruits/vegetables, handwashing and tooth brushing. Residents should, however, use soap and warm tap water for hand washing after using the restroom, followed by a hand sanitizer.
- If bottled water is unavailable, the affected tap water should be boiled for five minutes.
- Tap water may be used for dishwashing, if a dishwashing machine is used. If dishes are hand washed, boiled or bottled water should be used. Tap water may be used if the clean dishes are immersed for at least one minute in a sink of water, to which one full tablespoon of regular household bleach has been added.
- Tap water may be used for bathing and/or showering.
- Tap water may be used for household cleaning.
WHAT DOES THE BOILING PROCESS ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISH?
Between reactions, moving atoms, and bouncing water molecules, plenty of scientific things are happening before your water even comes to a boil.
- As water heats up, the vapor pressure increases to match the pressure of the gas around the liquid. This pressure is the key to the boiling process.
- Gas starts to heat at the bottom of the water and rise to the top - that’s why you see bubbles.
- As the liquid boils, the extreme heat eliminates harmful pathogens (bacteria, viruses or other microorganisms that can cause disease) from the water.
WHEN DO WE KNOW WE CAN STOP BOILING WATER?
Once the system is back up and pressure is at an appropriate level, Aqua collects a sample that is analyzed by a laboratory to ensure the safety of our water; this process typically takes about 24 hours. When the advisory is officially lifted, Aqua will get back in touch to let you know."
If you have any questions, please call Aqua Illinois at 877-987-2782.
July 7, 2023
Dear AQUA Customer:
The Village of Hawthorn Woods is in receipt of the following message from Aqua Illinois regarding their water system. This is for Aqua Illinois water customers only.
"Our thanks to everyone for your patience as we work to fully identify the extent of this problem and move quickly to fix the situation. We have all available resources focused on fixing this situation for you.
How we got here
- Nine times out of ten, when a leak or break is discovered, it’s a single point of weakness in a system. It gets fixed, we share that update with customers, and then we move on.
- This time, however, the fix is complex and putting strain on other parts of the system, which we now also have to identify and address.
What we’re doing now
Now that we know there are multiple challenges, we’re taking new and broader action, including:
What customers can do to help
- Continue to reduce your water use during times of drought, and continue to refrain from lawn irrigation.
- Urge businesses that use significant amounts of water to join you in conserving water.
- Click on the Aqua Illinois Communications Portal in the blue box below for updates.
What comes next
Once we solve the current issues, we’ll be taking several important steps:
- We’ll work with different assumptions about these systems when we detect future problems.
- We’ll collaborate with state, county, and community leaders on more accurate forecasts of demand, and explore what can be done to limit demand during drought conditions.
- We will look at accelerating the drilling of an additional well to supply more water for the system. This was already on the books for 2024.
Again, we thank everyone in the Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer, and Lake County areas for your patience."
If you have any questions, please call Aqua Illinois at 877-987-2782.
July 6, 2023
The Village of Hawthorn Woods is in receipt of the following message from Aqua Illinois regarding their water system. This is for Aqua Illinois water customers only.
Dear AQUA Customer:
"We’re continuing to make progress on the water system and water pressure is building as we expected – our customers should have water at acceptable pressure levels, and we are continuing to increase our reserves.
As a result of this additional pressure in the system, we’re identifying and investigating some leaks caused by various changes to the system over the past few days. That means you may see some additional activity in the community as we investigate and repair these leaks, but please know that these smaller leaks are a sign of progress that what we’re doing is working, and pressure is continuing to build. As we address the leaks, we may need to turn off some water valves across the community and it may cause some isolated short-term outages. We will notify customers in advance through our WaterSmart alerts.
We sincerely thank our customers for their patience and their conservation efforts, which are making a difference in our system recovery. As our reserves continue to increase, we expect we’ll be able to conduct the necessary testing to confirm our water is safe and lift the boil water advisory by the end of the weekend. Bottled water remains available 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the Hawthorn Woods Aquatic Center until this issue is fully resolved.
What we’re doing to make sure this doesn’t happen again:
Immediately, we’re supplementing our supply to build pressure, and we’re identifying and isolating any additional failure points, so that we can lift the boil water advisory.
The lasting fix is more complicated, but we’re committed to making sure this doesn’t happen again. We will work collaboratively with the municipalities on demand projections for this growth area and develop a plan for water supply. We had already had in our planning consideration an additional well to meet the growing water supply needs. We have a strong water main replacement program, as well, that will be updated.
Also, note we’re in a period of drought, and increased water usage, particularly for irrigation, can put great stress beyond typical conservative designs for water systems. We’ll need to again work collaboratively with state government, county government, and the communities on a robust conservation program."
If you have any questions, please call Aqua Illinois at 877-987-2782.
July 6, 2023
The Village of Hawthorn Woods is in receipt of the following message from Aqua Illinois regarding their water system. This is for Aqua Illinois water customers only.
Dear AQUA Customer:
"We have identified what we believe may be a water line break on N. Quentin Road. We are closing the valve to confirm, which will impact water service on Ensell Dr., Empress Dr., Acacia Dr., Adler Ct., Acacia Ct., N Empress Ct., S. Empress Ct., Catalpa Dr., Roman Ln. and Kiddie Academy. If a break is confirmed, a longer shutdown will be required to do the repair. We apologize for the inconvenience, and we are communicating directly with impacted customers through WaterSmart alerts - to sign up visit: https://www.aquawater.com/watersmart-alerts.php#."
If you have any questions, please call Aqua Illinois at 877-987-2782.
July 6, 2023
Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer & Lake County Public Works Update
The Village of Hawthorn Woods is in receipt of the following message from Aqua Illinois regarding their water system. This is for Aqua Illinois water customers only.
Dear AQUA Customer:
"We continue to make progress in stabilizing our water system by hauling water to supplement our supply and increase pressure. A vast majority of our customers have water at acceptable pressure levels, and we believe that number will continue to grow today if there are no unexpected changes in the system or sudden increases in demand.
We need our water reserves to continue to increase before we can test to ensure the safety of our water. As a result, we expect the boil water advisory to stay in effect through the weekend. We will continue to provide bottled water at the Hawthorn Woods Aquatic Center (94 Midlothian Road) until the boil water advisory has been lifted.
To support our system stabilization, water conservation from commercial and retail customers remains essential. Every drop counts and we are, in partnership with the Village of Hawthorn Woods, requiring that customers eliminate all sprinkler usage until further notice.
We thank our customers greatly for their continued patience as we work to restore full service and lift the boil water advisory. Read all updates and background on the situation here: https://www.aquawater.com/iljuly2023.php"
If you have any questions, please call Aqua Illinois at 877-987-2782.
July 5, 2023
The Village of Hawthorn Woods is in receipt of the following message regarding Aqua Illinois water system. This is for Aqua Illinois water customers only.
“Dear AQUA Customer:
We’re continuing to supplement our system’s water supply and expect customers will slowly regain water service throughout the day. More than half of our customers are back online and we expect that number to continue to grow if there are no unexpected changes in the system or sudden increases in demand.
We are aware of the areas that are experiencing continued outages and low pressure. As we fill the water lines with water, we’re being careful to ensure air that was in the lines can escape. Doing this helps to protect the integrity of the system and can minimize further failures, but it’s a slow process. It is essential that both residential and commercial customers refrain from lawn irrigation and conserve as much water as possible.
We thank customers for their continued patience as we work through this process and remind our customers that a boil water advisory will remain in effect until further notice. Bottled water will be available from 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. at the Hawthorn Woods Aquatic Center (94 Midlothian Road) until this issue is completely resolved. Customers can find regular updates and additional information here: https://www.aquawater.com/iljuly2023communications.php.
Background on the situation:
A confluence of factors – including last week’s drought conditions, multiple leaks and main breaks, and increased holiday demand— created a unique situation that made it difficult for the system to regain pressure, despite our best efforts. You can see a fully detailed timeline below of what has happened to date - we want to be transparent with you.
During this time, we have been systematically working through our complex system to isolate, understand and address the sources of water loss. We believed we solved the problem on Monday, when we identified a major leak on a customer's property. After we isolated the valve, service was restored for several hours and our data showed we were in the clear. However, pressure began dropping once again a few hours later, and we determined we had additional leaks. Also the large break discovered on Monday had caused our main storage tank to fall very low – we are still trying to get that tank full. This is critical for us to meet the peak summer demands.
On Tuesday, we began supplementing our water supply by hauling in water from our Aqua regional network to help refill our system based on the water we had lost. Water service began slowly resuming for customers on Wednesday morning, and we expect water pressure to continue to increase if there are no unexpected changes in the system or sudden increases in demand.
Important Things to Remember:
- Bottled water is being provided for ALL Aqua residents impacted by this service issue at the Hawthorn Aquatic Center, 94 Midlothian Road, Hawthorn Woods, IL 60047 from 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. We will continue providing water until this situation is completely resolved. We will deliver water for customers with a hardship or extenuating circumstances.
- A boil water advisory will remain in place until our supply increases and tests indicate our water is safe to consume.
- We provide regular updates through our WaterSmart text and email alerts and encourage all customers to sign up: https://www.aquawater.com/watersmart-alerts.php.
- In the case of a fire, we have the tools and water supply to help with fire protection efforts.
Overview of the timeline to date:
Sunday, July 2:
- We began experiencing a dramatic drop in water pressure across these systems on Sunday, July 2. Our team distributed a conservation notice, as we suspected the drought conditions were playing a role, and we asked customers to conserve water.
- Due to low pressure, we issued a precautionary boil water advisory on Sunday until our testing could confirm the water was safe to consume, which is typical protocol.
Monday, July 3:
- On the morning of Monday, July 3, we identified a leak in a commercial property connected to our system. Once it was isolated, we were able to successfully restore water service to all three systems.
- A few hours later, we began seeing additional pressure issues in the three systems, which we believe were caused by a separate leak. Our wells were unable to provide enough water during the increased demand, so we could not catch up our supply and pressurize the system during the day.
- Hawthorn Woods began providing bottled water to residents Monday.
Tuesday, July 4:
- Our teams worked overnight to address the pressure issues, and we saw some progress with our system pressure stabilizing. However, increased morning demand caused pressure to drop once again. As a result, customers continued to experience low pressure and intermittent outages Tuesday as we continued to troubleshoot.
- We worked closely with multiple contractors and crews to continue to identify and fix leaks.
- We began to truck in water from elsewhere in the Aqua regional system to help increase our water supply and fill our storage tank
- We began distributing bottled water on Tuesday, July 4, and will continue to do so until the situation is resolved.
Wednesday, July 5:
- Due to focused operations and continued work on leaks overnight, our system began to stabilize. Water service began to resume for customers Wednesday morning, and we anticipate more will regain service and pressure will improve throughout the day.
You can click here to see a full list of our customer communications on this issue.
If you have any questions, please call Aqua Illinois at 877-987-2782.
Thank you
Aqua Illinois"
July 5, 2023
The Village of Hawthorn Woods is in receipt of the following message regarding Aqua Illinois water system. This is for Aqua Illinois water customers only.
“Dear AQUA Customer:
Due to focused operations and continued work on leaks overnight, our system began to stabilize. Some customers who are without water should see increased pressure and resumed service slowly throughout the day. Today we will supplement our supply with the Aqua regional network to fill up our tank and help maintain system pressure. We’re asking that all customers - residential and commercial - continue to refrain from irrigation during this time.
A reminder for customers as water service returns: we are still under a boil water advisory; water must be boiled for five minutes before consumption. Our bottled water distribution will be open today from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. at the Hawthorn Woods Aquatic Center (94 Midlothian Road) for customers who need it.
If you have any questions, please call Aqua Illinois at 877-987-2782.
Thank you,
Aqua Illinois"
July 4, 2023
The Village of Hawthorn Woods is in receipt of the following message regarding Aqua Illinois water system. This is for Aqua Illinois water customers only.
Disruption Map
Please click here to acknowledge receipt of this message
“Dear AQUA Customer:
We saw some progress in addressing the water pressure issues facing the Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer and Lake County Public Works systems overnight, as our system pressure stabilized. However, increased morning demand caused pressure to drop again. As a result, we believe customers will continue to experience low pressure and outages today.
We apologize for this inconvenience, and we’re continuing to work around the clock to fully resolve the issue. To help support our customers, we’re setting up a bottled water distribution center at the Hawthorn Woods Aquatic Center from 11am until 5pm on Wednesday, July 5th.
We’re asking our customers to continue conserving as much water as possible to help expedite system recovery, including eliminating all outdoor water usage, taking shorter showers, minimizing the use of washers and dishwashers and not letting the water run unnecessarily.
A boil water advisory will remain in place until our supply increases and tests indicate our water is safe to consume. You can sign up for our WaterSmart alerts for updates on service and bottled water distribution here: https://www.aquawater.com/watersmart-alerts.php
If you have any questions, please call Aqua Illinois at 877-987-2782.
Thank you
AQUA IL"
July 3, 2023
The Village of Hawthorn Woods is in receipt of the following message regarding Aqua Illinois water system. This is for Aqua Illinois water customers only.
“Our team continues to work around the clock to address the low pressure and water outages in the Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer and the Lake County Public Works systems. We have identified the root of the issue, and we believe we will soon be able to fully restore service with a boil water advisory remaining in place.
To help support these efforts, we ask our customers to conserve as much water as possible. This includes eliminating all outdoor water usage, taking shorter showers, minimizing the use of washers and dishwashers and not letting the water run unnecessarily.
We thank our customers for their patience while we address this issue - we will continue to keep them updated.
If you have any questions, please call Aqua Illinois at (877) 987-2782.”
July 2, 2023
The Village of Hawthorn Woods is in receipt of the following updated message regarding Aqua Illinois water system. This is for Aqua Illinois water customers only.
"Due to the severe drought facing our region, Aqua Illinois is addressing low pressure and water outages in the Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer and the Lake County Public Works systems. As a result we have issued a precautionary boil water advisory, asking all customers to use bottled water or to boil all water for consumption.
Our operations team is working diligently to increase water pressure and supply to fully restore service as quickly as possible, including the use of booster pumps in our reservoir. To help speed up service restoration and to end the boil water advisory, it is essential that customers conserve as much water as possible.
In addition to our conservation notices and recommended irrigation schedules sent throughout the month of June, we’re asking customers to discontinue all non-essential water use. This includes eliminating all outdoor water usage, taking shorter showers, minimizing the use of washers and dishwashers and not letting the water run while shaving or brushing teeth.
We apologize for the inconvenience over the holiday weekend, and we thank our customer for helping to conserve water in support of our efforts - every drop counts."
If you have any questions, please call Aqua Illinois at (877) 987-2782.