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Citywide boil order expected Friday after riverfront water main break | Community News | whig.com

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Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 49F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..

Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight. Low 13F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.

City crews start the process of getting a broken valve repaired at Quincy's old pump station Thursday night. Director of Public Works Jeffrey Conte said he expected the repair to be completed between 6 and 8 a.m. on Friday.

Water can be seen coming from a broken gate valve Thursday night where city crews were working to dismantle the city's old pump facility. City officials said the water line, possibly as much as a century old, didn't appear on any of the system's diagrams.

City crews were working Thursday to cap a broken water gate valve a the old pump station. Once repairs are completed on Friday, city officials expect to issue a city-wide boil order as the pump system comes back online.

City crews start the process of getting a broken valve repaired at Quincy's old pump station Thursday night. Director of Public Works Jeffrey Conte said he expected the repair to be completed between 6 and 8 a.m. on Friday.

Water can be seen coming from a broken gate valve Thursday night where city crews were working to dismantle the city's old pump facility. City officials said the water line, possibly as much as a century old, didn't appear on any of the system's diagrams.

City crews were working Thursday to cap a broken water gate valve a the old pump station. Once repairs are completed on Friday, city officials expect to issue a city-wide boil order as the pump system comes back online.

QUINCY — City crews were working to cap a broken water line at the old pump station along Quincy's riverfront Thursday evening.

Around 8:30 p.m. Thursday, city officials reported that crews working on the demolition of the station at 101 N. Front had hit a water line that they had not been aware even existed.

"The fundamental problem is that this pipe that got damaged didn't show up anywhere on our drawings for the system," said Mayor Mike Troup. "We're thinking it's probably around a hundred years old or so. The crews here were doing the right things. That pipe's just not supposed to be there."

Director of Public Works Jeffrey Conte said the water visible in the exposed construction trench was just a part of a larger connection.

"You can really only see the bonnet of a 24-inch gate valve," he said. "So below that, it's a very large pipe."

As noted by Troup, the line that was hit didn't show up on Conte's diagrams of the system.

"We marked all the existing pipes, but this one didn't show up on any plans, so we don't even know what this pipe is at this point," Conte said. "We just know it's connected to the clear well, so we can't run our pumps without sucking in all the dirt and everything from this break."

Conte expected the work to cap the line and make the needed repairs will run until somewhere around 6 to 8 a.m. Friday.

"Once we get the plant back online, we'll have to consult with the (Illinois Environmental Protection Agency), but we believe we'll be issuing a citywide boil order for drinking water," he said. "After that, once everything is online again, we'll do the various bacteriological testing around town to make sure there are no issues and the water's safe to drink. Hopefully by Saturday afternoon, we'll be back to normal."

Both Conte and Troup said there should be no issues seen in the overnight or morning hours, and the water coming out of faucets tonight is safe.

"The water people would be drinking tonight and in the morning is already treated," Conte said. "(That's the water) in the reservoir, so there's no issues with that. Once the system comes back online, that new water we'll be putting into the system, we won't be able to say it's safe until we test and make sure it's clean in the pipe we put in."

"Water will still be flowing in the system, but because we can't test the water fast enough after the fix, we'll need the boil order until we are able to get those test results," Troup said. "It's still going to be important for people to try and conserve a bit for us, so we're asking for people to do things like turn their sprinklers off, skip laundry tonight if you can, don't run the dishwasher. That's a question of capacity, not health."

In an message to parents, Quincy Public Schools said school will be in session Friday,

"Food service will not be interrupted and bottled water will be available at all schools in the event of a citywide boil order," the district said.

QUINCY — Quincy Public Schools are dismissing early Friday because of the water main break affecting the entire city.

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