Aqua Illinois water problems expand to University Park, Governors State University sends alert

CBS News

4 hours ago

Issues with unsafe drinking water from Aqua Illinois in the south suburbs have now expanded to University Park, Illinois, as Governors State University sent out an alert to its community Monday morning.
The university said a drinking water alert has been issued for the University Park area due to elevated levels of nitrates in the Kankakee River, which may be harmful to infants under 6 months old. The alert also warns not to boil the water, as boiling water can actually worsen the elevated nitrate levels.
Water with elevated nitrate levels is also unsafe for pregnant women and people with certain health conditions.
Friday, Aqua Illinois notified families in Will and Kankakee counties about the unsafe tap water in those areas too.
"Aqua Illinois has never before experienced a nitrate exceedance at our Kankakee Water Treatment Plant," the company said Friday. "It is our assessment that spring fertilization and recent rains caused elevated nitrate levels in the river. Because of the unprecedented nature of this incident, we will be providing bottled water to certain high-risk customers in the impacted service area."
The utility provider said bottled water should be used to prepare formula for infants. Generally, infants under 6 months old should not drink water outside of what is found in breastmilk or used for formula, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Aqua Illinois said it is distributing bottled water to people affected, though they have not announced distribution points in University Park yet. For more information, contact Aqua Illinois at 877-987-2782.
Please note: The above video is from a previous report