Robbins Residents Await Water Return

Water service was restored to approximately 1,000 homes in Robbins before 5 p.m. on Tuesday after a major break in the village’s aging infrastructure. The repair work concluded following a daylong outage that began in the early morning hours.

The break was reported shortly before 2 a.m. on Tuesday along 135th Street between Spaulding and Sawyer avenues. Village officials confirmed the leak was occurring on a 12-inch main water line that runs from the water distribution center. Crews worked throughout the day to replace the damaged section of the pipe.

Residents woke up to low pressure or a complete lack of water. Freddie Cook, who has lived in Robbins her entire life, described hearing a strange noise around 3 a.m. that turned out to be water draining from her toilet. She noted that the village’s corroded pipes are a known issue for locals who were born and raised in the area.

Crystal Thomas described the outage as a significant inconvenience for daily tasks. Mayor Darren Bryant said the village was alerted to low water levels overnight before crews located the gushing leak. He explained that the 12-inch line is the primary feed for the area, which necessitated shutting off service to the affected neighborhood.

Bryant stated that the village is working to address infrastructure that is more than 50 years old. He projected the cost of a full overhaul at $40 million. The mayor said the village has already secured some funding, including $4 million for lead lines, $4 million for the water tower, and $5.1 million for the east side of town.

He added that he will be in Springfield starting November 17 to lobby for more state funding. A boil water advisory remains in effect, and officials are asking residents to limit their usage. This incident marks the first water main break of the season for Robbins.