Cairo under boil-water order

Residents of Cairo, Ill., are being asked to boil their water after the Illinois American Water Co., which serves the city of 3,500, reported a drop in pressure overnight.

Pressure dropped about 2:30 a.m. today when a power glitch knocked a high service pump out of operation, said Steve Keith, operations superintendent at the Cairo District Office.

Power was restored and the pump restarted in about two hours, he said.

The boil order is precautionary, but required under state rules when water pressure drops, Cindy Mosby operations coordinator said. Full pressure has been restored and samples have been sent for laboratory testing. Once the test results show the water is safe, the boil order will be lifted, she said.

The water utility expects the boil order to last no longer than 36 hours and it is likely to be shorter, Mosby said.