VILLAGE OF ROBBINS, Ill. (WLS) — It all comes down to infrastructure. The pipes in the town are old and need millions of dollars in repairs.
People said it’s a familiar issue they’re dealing with, but the timing of it is just not ideal with all the cooking that needs to be done on Thanksgiving.
“This is not a Robbins problem, this is a state and federal problem when we’re talking about infrastructure,” said Mayor Darren Bryant.
The mayor of Robbins issued a plea for help as the south suburb deals with water issues.
About 100 homes have low water pressure, with barely anything coming out of the faucets.
“Very frustrating,” said Robbins resident, James Collier. “Can’t wash up — a lot of things you can’t do when you don’t have water, especially on Thanksgiving — trying to cook.”
There have been two water main breaks in the last week near 135th Street and S. Pulaski Road, impacting water pressure.
The city is working on a temporary fix to hopefully resolve the situation by Friday, but in the end, the mayor said aging infrastructure in the village needs about $40 million in repairs.
“That consists of water heaters, six-inch meter valves and pumping stations that can go out any day,” Mayor Bryant said.
RELATED: Illinois investing $94M in infrastructure project in Harvey, Dixmoor, Riverdale
Read Related Also: What is h2o in chemistry
Village leaders passed out cases of water Thursday as the repairs continue.
Every bit helps, especially for those trying to go on with their holiday cooking.
“It’s very inconvenient because it takes you much longer to prepare your meals,” said fellow resident, Sonja.
“I ran me some bath water, ran to the store and came back. I was gone for a minute and by the time I got back, it was ready,” added Tina Mitchell.
It’s a problem we’ve seen elsewhere in the area. Neighboring Dixmoor has faced similar issues, with leaders also calling for infrastructure upgrades.
Both communities are pushing for solutions and financial assistance.
“A lot of communities are going through the same thing because the pipes are so old and just need to be change, so yeah, we need federal help,” Collier said.
The hope is to see that water pressure improve by Friday, but that could be followed by a boil order, so it could be a couple more inconvenient days for these residents.
Copyright © 2022 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
