A boil order advisory for residents of the Oak Tree Village mobile home park remains in effect through Friday, following a number of water line breaks during last week’s frigid weather.

Doug Williamson, an environmental scientist for the Indiana State Department of Health tasked to mobile home park inspection, told the Chesterton Tribune on Monday that Oak Tree Village management is playing it safe with the advisory, “extending it far beyond” what is probably necessary. Even so, Williamson said, two additional leaks in “a totally different area” of the park were reported on Monday.

Last week 17 residences in Oak Tree Village were reported to have been without water for varying periods of time.

The boil order advisory—instructing residents to boil water at least five minutes prior to drinking it—is issued when there is a breach in the integrity of a water line and the possibility exists for contamination, Williamson said.

Two sorts of water line break have been reported at Oak Tree Village, he added: those in risers, which bring water from pipes underground to the homes; and those in the pipes of homes themselves. Generally speaking, mobile home parks are responsible for maintaining risers and residents for maintaining their own pipes.

Meanwhile, Williamson noted, salt has been applied to the mounds of ice created when the leaking water froze on and near roadways and the driving conditions on those roadways have much improved.

Oak Tree Village is located off Old Porter Road west of Ind. 149 in the City of Portage but also in Westchester Township. Its residents are served by the Duneland School Corporation and the Westchester Public Library.

Posted 2/13/2007