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Boil order issued for parts of Chicago following water main break

According to the city of Chicago, the boil order will continue 'until further notice'

Editor's Note: The boil order has been lifted. Our original story continues below.

A boil order has been issued for some parts of Chicago after a water main break late Tuesday, according to city officials.

The order, issued overnight, was due to a leak on a high-pressure water main inside the Roseland Pumping Station, a press release from the city said. As a result, water pressure to parts of Beverly, Morgan Park and Auburn Gresham was impacted from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday, the city said.

According to officials, the water main is back online and "fully pressurized." Still, the order remains, the city said.

"Out of an abundance of caution and in consultation with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Chicago Department of Water Management is issuing a boil order for drinking and cooking water for those impacted areas," the release said.

The order will continue "until further notice." All buildings and homes east of Sacramento Avenue, north of 119th Street, west of I-57, south of 87th Street, and southwest of Beverly Avenue are under the order, city officials said.

"Residents should bring water to a full rolling boil for at least five minutes to ensure it's safe for consumption," the release said. "Boiled water may be stored at room temperature or refrigerated in a closed container until needed." 

The order applies to water for drinking, making ice cubes, washing foods, washing dishes, brushing teeth, or any other activity involving water consumption, the city said. Water for laundry, watering lawns, and taking showers do not need to be boiled.   

Free bottled water for those in the affected areas is available at Ride Park, located at 9625 S. Longwood.

Wednesday afternoon, photos and video from the water handout showed cars wrapped around the block waiting to collect bottles while the city water department was directing traffic.

By 12:30 p.m., officials told NBC Chicago they had gone through 1,000 cases of water. One man waiting in line told NBC 5 reporter Kate Chappell he had waited in line for 35 minutes.

The city anticipates it will go through 4,000 cases, officials said.

According to the city, the order will be rescinded once the Chicago Department of Water Management's water testing concludes the water is safe to drink.

The order comes as the remnants of what was once Hurricane Beryl pounds the Chicago area with steady rain. Hours before the wet weather, Chicago's Water Reclamation District, which is responsible for wastewater management in the Chicago area, issued an Overflow Action Alert, asking residents to delay taking showers and baths, or to reduce the amount of time spent in the shower.

Residents were also being asked to put off running their dishwashers, and to wait to wash clothes when possible.

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