Residents of an apartment building in Schaumburg have to become homeless for the second time this month due to a burst water pipe
For the second time this month, residents of a 143-unit building in Schaumburg have been left homeless for an unknown period of time while repairs are being carried out due to a burst pipe in a private water line.
Both incidents occurred at 1463 Mercury Drive in the Country Lane Park Condominiums, near the intersection of Irving Park Road and Fairfield Drive. The most recent one occurred on Tuesday.
Village emergency crews first responded Aug. 6 to a break in the private utility line to the building that caused damage to the nearest ground-floor apartments, said Allison Albrecht, Schaumburg’s communications director.
Two breaks in a private water line caused damage to the nearest ground floor apartments at 1463 Mercury Drive in Schaumburg and resulted in temporary homelessness for residents of the entire 143-unit building at Country Lane Park Condominiums.
Eric Peterson/[email protected]
However, the water supply to the entire building was shut off and was not restored until the following week after repairs were completed.
On Tuesday, a second break in the same supply line occurred, forcing workers to again shut off the water supply and temporarily declare the building uninhabitable.
“The homeowners association is in the process of replacing the line, which will require excavating the line to make the repair,” Albrecht said. “Work is currently underway and installation of the service line is expected to begin on August 26.”
Orange signs on the doors of 1463 Mercury Drive in Schaumburg declare the 143-unit condominium building uninhabitable because of repairs to a private water line for the second time this month.
Eric Peterson/[email protected]
She added that village staff continue to monitor the work being done to ensure inspections are completed and all requirements are met before water service is restored and occupancy is permitted.
Brian Lynch, community association manager of Country Lane Park Condominiums, said Friday the cause of the break is unknown, as is how long it will take to repair it.
Schaumburg Township has declared the 143-unit building at 1463 Mercury Drive in the Country Lane Park Condominiums uninhabitable as repairs are ongoing on a private water main that burst twice in August.
Eric Peterson/[email protected]
Residents, property owners and their relatives, who went into the building again on Friday morning to get an idea of the situation, declined to comment.
One of the displaced residents, Mandy Mortel, posted a complaint on Facebook about the two consecutive breaches, but did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
“The building has been declared uninhabitable and will remain so for at least the next 14 DAYS!” Mortel posted on Thursday. “We have already been without water for 10 days. And now another 2 weeks?!”
Debris can’t enter a storm drain as water flows into the parking lot of 1463 Mercury Drive in Schaumburg. Work continues as repairs to a broken utility line to the 143-unit building where water service was shut off.
Eric Peterson/[email protected]
In her post, Mortel reported that she received an email from building management on Wednesday evening saying the second break occurred just a few feet from the previous repair site.
“How is this possible? What went wrong the first time?” she asked. “And who decided not to replace the pipe anyway? We need answers and we need our homes back.”
