Boil order lifted for University of Chicago hospital

A boil order affecting the University of Chicago Medical Center and most of the university’s Hyde Park campus was lifted after a water quality test Sunday afternoon.

As of 3 p.m., the boil order had been lifted for the affected area that included buildings bounded by 56th Street on the north, 59th Street on the south, Cottage Grove on the west and Dorchester on the east, according to Pete Scales, spokesman for the city’s Department of Water Management.

That includes the University of Chicago Medical Center and the majority of the University of Chicago’s buildings and residence halls.

Water crews were out in the neighborhood Sunday afternoon letting residents and business owners know the boil order had been lifted, Scales said.

Residents are advised to flush their water lines to rid their homes of any affected water, Scales said. Residents should run cold water through all faucets in their homes for between three and five minutes. Then residents should let hot water run through the faucets until their water heater drains and refills.

A contractor for the water department was installing a new water main in the 1100 block of East 57th Street on Friday and failed to properly flush it before the new main was installed, which caused the city to issue the boil order. Early Saturday, water crews went out to properly flush the main and sanitize and put it back in service.