Skokie water main break causes widespread flooding, icy conditions, road closures

SKOKIE, Ill. — A water main break in the north suburbs on Friday morning caused significant flooding, trapping cars and forcing residents to navigate frigid water and ice.

Crews in Skokie were notified about a break in one of the village’s primary transmission mains that serves customers in Skokie from its wholesale supplier, the Evanston Water Department, at around 5:15 a.m.

Officials said crews determined a fitting cap on a major water transmission main serving Skokie failed, but there was no indication that the failure was caused by any construction in the area. An updated component is now being installed.

“This morning the village experienced a major break in its water system, resulting in a shutdown of water service and the issuance of a boil water order,” Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen said during an update from city officials on Friday.

Skokie Public Works Director Max Slankard said the break occurred near East Prairie and Emerson Street.

Slankard said public works crews have been working through the morning to identify and isolate the break while simultaneously working to restore pressure throughout the system as soon as possible.

According to Slankard, while crews have made significant progress, frigid water and frozen ground have hampered their efforts.

Because of the break, East Prairie Road between Church Street and Golf Road remains closed, but all other roads impacted have reopened.

SkyCam 9 was over the scene several times on Friday morning to survey the impact.

From overhead, several cars appeared to be trapped as residents worked to navigate the frigid water that quickly began to turn to ice.

Village officials offered an update on the situation in a press conference on Friday afternoon. The full news conference can be viewed in the video player below.

City officials said they will continue to provide updates to the public about the situation through the village website, Facebook and Instagram pages.

Water Main Break Impact

Many residents in Skokie woke up to find significant flooding had trapped them inside their homes.

“I looked out the window and saw that we were in the middle of a lake and it was crazy. It was all the way up to our car’s undercarriage, Skokie resident and teacher Kathleen Schmidt said.

The incident forced several schools to shift to distance learning, including the Skokie-Morton Grove School District 69, which canceled classes on Friday, so Schmidt spent her day at home with her with her 8-year-old triplets.

“Opened the front door, yeah, couldn’t get out. Our cars were underwater,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt said her car, along with two others belonging to her dad wouldn’t start after her street flooded and filled with thick ice.

Schmidt was one of several Skokie residents who were unexpectedly stuck inside on Friday.

Plumber Nik Rojas said he realized he was not going to make it to work and had to get creative to navigate through the frigid slush, and wadded through the water with a plastic trash bin on each foot.

“No wet boots are going to save you from knee-high water so had to think outside the box a little,” Rojas said.

It is unclear how long cleanup efforts will take, but the forecast does not appear to be in residents’ favor, as frigid temperatures and snow are expected to continue through the weekend.

Those seeking a warm place to stay can visit a warming center at the Robert Crown Community Center, located at 1801 Main Street, in Evanston, or the Unitarian Church of Evanston, located at 1330 Ridge Avenue.

Officials said many warming centers in Skokie are currently closed due to the lack of water supply.

Officials added a limited supply of free bottled water will be distributed on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Sketchwood Brewing, located at 4901 Main Street in Skokie.

Businesses forced to close

The break forced a boil order and even cut off water to many, including several businesses and restaurants that were gearing up for the Valentine’s Day crowds.

Marcos Rivera, the owner of Libertad restaurant in downtown Skokie, said he was forced to cancel 140 reservations on Friday night and Liley will not be able to open for their 100 reservations on Saturday.

It is a huge blow to his bottom line and Rivera said nothing like this has ever happened in his 13 years in business.

“It’s very difficult. You know, it’s a big loss, but it’s also the safety for our, you know, for our guests to make sure everybody, you know, is, is, is safe and we don’t take any unnecessary risk to get anybody sick, Rivera said.

Because of a loss of water pressure caused by the break, Westfield Old Orchard announced that it would be closing for the remainder of the day on Friday.

In a Facebook post, a spokesperson for the shopping center said they anticipate that it would reopen on Saturday.

WGN-TV was at the shopping center as customers and employees started leaving after learning about the closure. Workers said they expected to see crowds but were instead sent home early.

“We were given kind of a heads up and, we were prepared, but we had to turn customers away, tell them because of the water main break. So a lot of disappointed customers,” Old Orchard employee Iris said.

Old Orchard later confirmed in a social media post that it would reopen on Saturday morning and would operate within normal business hours, but because of the loss of water pressure and the boil order, restaurant, theatre and salon hours may differ.

In addition to potential changes to operating hours, the shopping centers water fountains will also be turned off.

Westfield Old Orchard is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, but an official from the shopping center recommended shoppers call the specific stores they would like to visit ahead of time to ensure they are open.

One of the biggest issues that restaurants are facing is the perishable food that they have bought in anticipation of a big night that they now can not use.

The village is looking for other restaurant owners in neighboring communities to step in and buy that food at cost so it doesn’t go to waste and to alleviate some of the financial hit for businesses in Skokie.

Contact Carol.white@skokie.org for more information on how to purchase the food at cost.

Boil Order In Effect Until At Least Sunday Evening

The break has impacted the water supply in the village and a boil order has been issued for the area. Officials reported Saturday evening that the boil order is expected to remain in effect for Skokie until at least Sunday evening.

A boil order was also issued for Northwest Evanston, but that order has since been lifted.

Slankard said community members are being asked to avoid non-essential tap water use and are advised instead to use bottled water until service returns.

“Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for five minutes, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in water,” authorities said.

Mike Charley, the Director of Health and Human Services for the village, said the boil order will likely remain in place through at least Saturday afternoon as the State of Illinois requires that the village collect two clean water samples, which have to be drawn 24 hours apart before the boil order can be lifted.

If either of the samples show contaminants, two more sets of samples must be drawn 24 hours apart.

Village officials said in an update on Saturday morning that crews worked through the night to repair the break and replenishment of the water system began at 9:10 p.m. Friday and will continue into the afternoon hours on Saturday.

According to officials, once the water system reaches a minimum pressure, which is expected Saturday afternoon, crews will begin taking samples.

A limited supply of free bottled water was distributed by village officials on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Sketchwood Brewing, located at 4901 Main Street in Skokie.

The village also distributing bottled water directly to critical facilities, including senior care and living facilities.