Mokena, New Lenox ban watering
By Steve Metsch Sun-Times Media July 7, 2012 8:54PM
Updated: August 9, 2012 9:49AM
Repairs to a backup generator serving the water line from Oak Lawn have led to watering bans in Mokena and New Lenox and a likely ban in Tinley Park.
The website for Mokena said Saturday that all outdoor water is banned in that village and New Lenox until further notice because “reserves have fallen to critical levels.”
Repairs to the generator in Oak Lawn disrupted water service long enough to cause a decrease in Tinley Park’s water supply, which is down to about half capacity, Tinley Park Mayor Ed Zabrocki said. Tinley Park sells lake water to Mokena and New Lenox.
Repairs in Oak Lawn began at 1 p.m. Friday, and the line was down about nine hours. By 2 a.m. Saturday, things were back to normal, Zabrocki said. However, with Tinley Park using about 18 million gallons of water every day, the village’s supply was “just under 50 percent (Saturday) morning,” he said.
Zabrocki said he is glad Oak Lawn took a “pre-emptive strike” by fixing the backup generator before a larger problem happened.
