Lead service lines are the pipes that deliver drinking water from the main distribution line to your home. These pipes are made of lead, a toxic metal that can leach into the water supply, especially in older infrastructure. Thanks to new state and federal programs and funding, communities have support to inventory and replace their lead service lines.
The Problem
Illinois reportedly has more lead service lines than any other state in the United States. Lead is harmful to human health, particularly affecting children and pregnant women. It can cause developmental delays, neurological problems, and other serious health issues, even at low levels of exposure. You have likely heard of the most famous example–the Flint water crisis in Michigan. This case highlights how this issue disproportionately affects black, brown, and low-income communities that often reside in areas with aging infrastructure, where lead pipes are more prevalent.
Advocacy and Laws to Get the Lead Out
Although lead water line installations were outlawed in 1987, countless lead service lines remain in use throughout the state, potentially leaching lead into drinking water. It wasn’t until 2021 that advocates like the Illinois Environmental Council, the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, and the Natural Resources Defense Council successfully fought to pass the Illinois Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act (LSLRNA, Public Act 102-0613 ). The law mandates that community water suppliers develop comprehensive inventories and replacement plans and notify occupants of potentially impacted buildings. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) was one of the first state agencies to fight this preventable, man-made environmental and public health hazard by making their Lead Service Line Program mandatory.
In 2021, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (a.k.a. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), allocating significant funding to replace lead service lines in communities with the greatest need. Much of this funding is flowing to the states, including the IEPA.
Funding and Programs to Get the Lead Out
As part of LSLRNA, IEPA required community water suppliers to complete an inventory list to identify what material their service lines were made of; the first draft of this list was due on April 15th, 2022. Of the 3,852,509 total service lines reported, 667,275 were lead, 819,586 were an unknown material, and 367,756 were copper lines contaminated with lead solder. This data is vital to the planning and implementation phase. The deadline for the complete material inventory is April 15, 2024.
Lead Service Line Inventory Grants are available now while funding lasts. The program requires no cost share, and indirect costs are eligible for funding. These awards range from $20,000 to $50,000 and can be used to fund lead service line inventory projects. The Excel template for the 2024 complete inventory can be found here. Extension requests for the 2024 deadline can be found here. You can search community service line material inventory reports at the bottom of the page.
Once the inventory is complete, communities are encouraged to apply to the Lead Service Line Replacement Loan Program. This program is part of the State Revolving Fund. Although leaders can apply anytime, IEPA prioritizes projects with planning approval by March 31st of each fiscal year. Funding Nomination Forms must also be submitted by March 31st every year to be eligible for review. Lead service line replacement loans typically have an interest rate of 0% at a 30-year term. Disadvantaged communities can select a 40-year term and may be eligible for principal forgiveness depending on demographic data for the census tracts where the lead service line replacement will occur.
The federal US Environmental Protection Agency also has a Get the Lead Out initiative that provides technical assistance to over 200 underserved communities nationwide. In November 2023, the Agency announced upcoming improvements to its lead and copper rule, which would achieve 100% lead pipe replacement for the entire country in ten years. This rule also strengthened protections to reduce exposure by lowering the lead action level from 15 to 10 microliters. The EPA anticipates that the lead and copper rule will be finalized by October 2024.
The Great Lakes Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (TCTAC) provides direct technical assistance to community organizations, helping them navigate funding opportunities, like those available for Lead Service Line inventories and replacement. Prairie Rivers Network is working with the Great Lakes TCTAC and other partners to ensure that underserved and rural communities can access clean, affordable drinking water.
With this historical funding, our generation has the unprecedented opportunity to solve this completely preventable health hazard. Through collective action and equitable policy implementation, we can ensure that every community in Illinois has access to clean, affordable drinking water. Partnering with the leaders in this movement can help catalyze your community’s clean water initiative.
