Naperville To Issue Precautionary Boil Orders In Future

NAPERVILLE, IL —CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article erroneously said boil orders would be issued this week. This is incorrect.

Naperville officials say they will issue precautionary boil orders in the future as part of its dedication to water quality. The city announced Wednesday that it will be issuing precautionary boil orders going forward after reviewing its water main break response and testing by the local Environmental Protection Agency.

City officials say a precautionary boil order does not mean that your water is contaminated, but may indicate that an event has occurred that makes water more susceptible to contamination. A precautionary boil order, they say, "is NOT the same thing as a mandatory boil order. Instead, it is a precautionary measure meant to empower customers to make the best choices for themselves, their families, or their business customers until proper testing can be completed."

The orders are often issued after a water main break forces a shut-off of part of a water main and are mandatory if water pressure falls below 20 pounds per square inch.

The changes come after an "increasingly more stringent interpretation of the regulations on the requirement surrounding precautionary boil orders," city officials said in a press release.

Under a precautionary boil order, customers should avoid using tap water for drinking, brushing their teeth, washing produce or cooking. Instead, they should use bottled water or tap water that has been boiled for at least five minutes to complete these tasks.

If You're Affected By A Precautionary Boil Order

When a precautionary boil order is in effect, impacted residents will have orange envelopes delivered to their doors in the coming weeks. The envelope will contain information about the precautionary boil order, frequently asked questions and other helpful info.

In the event that a precautionary boil order is issued overnight, the envelopes will be attached to the doors of homes, but workers will not ring the affected residents' doorbells.

When a precautionary boil order is lifted, staff will go door-to-door to pass out green door tags indicating that the boil order is no longer in effect.

Visit the City of Naperville website if you have additional questions about precautionary boil orders.