Boil water order in place after water main break in Saline County

ELDORADO, Ill., (KBSI) – Eldorado is under a boil water order after a water main break occurred Tuesday.

Independent contractors hit a water main while drilling at the corner of State Street and Old Broughton road.

The city water commissioner Thomas Hosman said they tried to find the water line before the contractors began drilling, but because it’s an old line, they couldn’t trace it with their locator.

“It has to have some kind of metal in it for you to trace it and we can’t trace it,” he said. “We did go up and we probed around everything. We tried to find it – we never could find it.”

Mayor Rocky James said the whole town was mostly without water while the main break was being repaired.

“When it’s such a bad break, our office staff start calling the schools and the hospital,” he said. “The school decided to close because, you know, kids couldn’t flush.”

Ferrell Hospital’s main campus remained open, however they did have to close several facilities early due to the water loss, including Eldorado Family Medicine, Senior Transitions, and outpatient therapy services.

According to the hospital’s Facebook page, patients with afternoon appointments will be contacted for rescheduling.

Hosman said it took about six hours to repair the line. The town is now under a boil water order.

Mayor James said they need two water sample test results to come back clear before the boil order can be lifted. He expects this to be completed within 48 hours.