Water Main Break Has Gone Unfixed For Months
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Northwest Side woman has been dealing with a water main break for months but has yet to get any help from the city of Chicago. AS CBS 2's Mike Parker reports, she's running out of patience.
The grass parkway outside Pearl Gray's house on North Ozanam Avenue in the 36th Ward is saturated. She says it started as a small sinkhole last summer, which led to a trickle of water, then a steady stream.
"The kids were splashing around in it in the summer, playing in it," she says. She describes it as "pretty horrendous."
There is a small creek now constantly running along the curb but it won't be running like that for long. It's starting to freeze.
In Gray's words, "I suppose we shoud invest in some skates, I don't know."
The weeks of leaking water have also caused a big crack in her front sidewalk.
After calling the city at 311 numerous times, Gray says she finally talked to the Department of Water Management.
"At midnight," she says, "I saw a truck out here and all they did was shine a flashlight on it and tell me, yes, I have a water main leak. And that was it. They left." That visit was on Oct. 26.
Nobody has returned to fix it since then. In the meantime, the water pressure inside the house is about a third of what it should be. She says it takes her about 20 minutes to fill the kitchen sink to do her dishes.
"I guess it's not a priority to them. There's no excuse," says Gray.
A spokesman for the city's Department of Water Management checked the city's records and conceded there was a "communication problem" and apologized. They said they've told the homeowner they will get a repair crew to the location early next week.
