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Deerfield Water Warning Remains In Effect

DEERFIELD, Ill. (CBS) -- A warning about contaminated water in Deerfield remains in effect, causing residents to have to boil tap water before using it or using bottled water.

CBS 2's Derrick Blakely spent the day in the northern suburb and reports residents are certainly annoyed but muddling through. The village says preliminary tests show the contamination has washed itself out of the system, but to follow EPA guidelines they still want residents to boil until noon tomorrow.

There's plenty of water available in Deerfield but village officials want to make sure it won't make you sick. That's why they still want residents like Sandra Barsky to boil tap water at least one minute for using it.

"You take a shower really quickly. I'm not sure how much bacteria is in the water," said Basky.

The contamination came from animal or human waste. At Sunset Foods in nearby Highland Park, that triggered a run on bottled water.

Businesses had to adapt, too. At Il Forno Pizzeria, the pop machine's off limits and it is canned pop only. They're pre-boiling water for cooking.

Even Joe Cronin's Deerfield dentist had to improvise when he and his daughter visted today.

"They adjusted their equipment to use bottled water for cleaning, rinsing, even for the tech to clean her hands," said Cronin.

The village believes the contamination came from some kind of break in the system, but they don't know who caused it and say they may never know. Still, they're hoping tests will allow them to lift the boil order by noon tomorrow.

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