SOUTHERN ILLINOIS -- Single-digit temperatures resulted in water issues for local residents, but with warmer weather those problems are easing, according to various water departments.
Over the weekend, the Illinois American Water Co., which has residential customers in Saline, Gallatin, Hardin and Pope counties, issued a mandatory water conservation measure. Customers were not to use dishwashers or clothes washing machines and were asked to take showers rather than filling bathtubs.
"We did this because our provider, Saline Valley Conservancy District, was having production issues, which is not uncommon during times of very cold temperatures," Karen Cotton, external affairs manager for Illinois American Water Co., said. "They asked us to have our customers restrict water usage for a few days until we get past this."
Cotton said Monday the efforts seemed to be paying off, and she anticipated the customers will be able to go back to normal use soon.
A lack of water closed the Pope County school system in Golconda, where most of the town was without water due to water main breaks and other water supply issues.
In Harrisburg, the cold did result in some minor breaks in the water system, but nothing major, Water Department Superintendent Jason Haney said.
"We've had a few issues, but none of them have been that big," Haney said. "What we've had more of is residents who had lines frozen in their homes, bust, and then start leaking."
Haney also noted that Harrisburg's water metering system is designed to quickly identify water breaks.
"The new meters usually are able to identify when a location suddenly uses an unusual amount of water, much higher than average," he said.
The water department notifies those locations so that homeowners can locate broken lines, shut off water and have them fixed.
The replacement of water mains through Harrisburg in recent years has helped as well, Haney said.
