(CHICAGO) — There is a warning about unhealthy drinking water in a handful of towns in the south suburbs and it has prompted one mayor to take action.
High nitrate levels have made it unsafe to drink the water in University Park, Peotone and Kankakee. Bottled water is being distributed until the issue is fixed.
Aqua Illinois says the elevated nitrate levels in the Kankakee River were caused by recent rains and spring agricultural runoff.
University Park Mayor Joseph Roudez III is now reaching out to Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Attorney General for help. He wants to see the village’s water infrastructure rebuilt and he says he wants to buy back the infrastructure that University Park sold to Aqua in the 1980s.
Until the issue is fixed, the U.S. EPA says do not give tap water to infants under six months sold, do not use tap water to mix infant formula and boiling water will not reduce nitrate levels. They say boiling it can actually make it worse.
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