An official with the Rend Lake Conservancy District says the plant has been able to keep pace with demand and keep all tanks and towers filled since repairing a water main break.
General Counsel Larry Sanders says there are small leaks, which is common in all water systems. Sanders says no breaks have occurred in the system and all leaks are minor. He says no leak currently warrants doing anything more than monitoring.
Sanders says calculations indicate the leaks are less than one-third of a gallon per minute in a pipe that is pumping well over 10-thousand gallons per minute. He says it's the practice of the District to repair even small leaks.
Several communities served by the Rend Lake Conservancy District are lifting boil water orders.
Water samples over the weekend taken at the district came back normal - which RLCD leaders say is a good sign. Now, individual communities must have their own samples taken to make sure the water is safe to drink.
Communities that have already sent their samples to the lab and been given the OK to lift boil orders include Marion, Carterville, Mt. Vernon, Du Quoin, Johnston City, West Frankfort, Zeigler and McLeansboro.
Dozens of communities in nine southern Illinois counties dealt with the consequences of a major water main failure at the Rend Lake Conservancy District late last week. The repair was completed on Friday morning.
