Shame on the Department of Water Management again. On October 2, 2019, Chicago Clout received frantic calls for water in the Roseland neighborhood. The pumping station shut down and many people had little or no water. Many people are not aware Commissioner Conner has been misplacing needed repairs to the stations that provide potable drinking water for millions of people. Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her staff has been informed and were gobsmacked. The neighborhood is a very, very, poor neighborhood with many black citizens. I called an old friend at the Jardine Plant and was told, maybe if those people pay their water bills”. Department of Water Management employees told me that Mayor Lori Lightfoot keeps the water on, and folks are not paying their bills. The Department of Water Management makes millions and millions for the city coffers and the hit is taking its toll. The investment into infrastructure starts in the white neighborhoods and then trickles down into the ghettos.
When the neighborhoods have the water shut off, the water in the buildings flows back into the water mains. Many residents complained of having “blue water” in their drinking water. This happens when bowl cleaners are in the toilet tanks and the backflow occurs. The fire stations were furious. I asked if quality control and the Plumbing Inspectors were dispatched to this emergency, NO. The water shutdown forced another round of lead into the drinking water when the water mains were turned on.
Many of these poor blacks and senior citizens were unaware to flush the water system and no-boil order was made. No newspapers or T.V stations were told to make the public aware. I also received many calls about black water and very, very, dark brown water. Someone needed to tell Commissioner “Coo Coo” Conner how to run the water department. You can not rely on Alderman “Blackjack” Austin to tell you what to do all the time.