Two weeks after one of the worst gas outages in Nicor history, the company is still cleaning up local neighborhoods where gas lines had to be replaced and tallying the total cost of the damage.

One Evanston alderman estimated that the cost of the outage will be in the millions of dollars. The expenses stem from replacing flooded gas lines in Wilmette and Evanston after a Jan. 10 outage left more than 1,000 residents without heat for up to six days.

“I’ve heard (cost) speculations in the tens of millions of dollars,” said Ald. Edmund Moran (6th).

Evanston Facilities Management Director Max Rubin said he can’t give a definite cost at this point, but he “imagine(s) it being that high.” He said the city will seek reimbursement from Nicor for any services it provided during the outage.

Nicor does not yet have any cost assessments.

“An investigation is currently going on in conjunction with Wilmette and Evanston city officials,” Lathan said. “Once a thorough investigation is complete, our cost estimates will come out.”

Gas lines were flooded after a Wilmette water main ruptured. Nicor crews worked to restore gas to homes and businesses throughout the week. Officials still are investigating the cause of the break.

Despite the high cleanup cost, some aldermen and residents said they were satisfied with the way Nicor handled the outage.

“I thought (Nicor) was incredible with the amount of resources they had,” Moran said. “They made a major commitment to get the problem handled, and they were very accommodating to people and the city.”

Heat was restored to The Swedish Retirement Home in Evanston by 5 a.m. Jan. 12. Administrator Susan Morne said the home was probably given priority because it has more than 100 residents.

“(The Nicor crews) were absolutely fabulous,” Morne said. “I have no complaints whatsoever.”

The gas company is currently working with a landscaping contractor to restore areas that were dug up to replace gas lines, according to Kris Lathan, a Nicor spokesperson.

“We have crews out there now,” said Lathan. “But obviously excavation is seasonal, so the final restoration won’t likely be finished until the spring.”

Connie Besancon, an Evanston resident, said she was also pleased with how Nicor handled the cleanup.

“The crews were very accommodating,” Besancon said. “They cleaned up after themselves and didn’t even leave any piles of dirt.”