State, feds must help south suburbs fix water problems

Accessing clean drinking water in the south suburbs is too often a hit-and-miss affair. It’s a problem state and federal governments must fix. (Michael Schmidt, Sun-Times Media Lake County New)

Boil orders are a way of life in Robbins, where breakdowns in the south suburban town’s water infrastructure frequently send residents to their stoves — or out for bottled water— before they can bathe or take a drink.

The latest episode happened July 28, when Robbins officials instituted a boil order after an aged water tower at 135th Street and Kedzie Avenue ruptured, raining down thousands of gallons and negatively affecting the water supply.