Sycamore city makes plan to complete lead water service line replacements

SYCAMORE – After city officials identified all lead service lines attached to the public works, Sycamore City Council on Oct. 21 approved parameters for how the city will handle future service line replacements.

In March, Sycamore officials announced they’d finished the creation of an inventory of service line materials connected to the city’s public works, and had enough funding to replace all of the remaining service lines that were made of lead.

Properties that were found to have a lead service line were eligible to have the service line replaced by a city contractor at no cost to the property owner through the city’s lead service line replacement program.

“Residents who refused to participate in the no cost lead service line replacement will not be eligible for replacement costs for future service replacement from the shutoff value to the home.”

—  City Manager Michael Hall

In January, Sycamore City Manager Michael Hall said the city had secured a cumulative $11.16 million in loans from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to fund replacement of lead water service lines in the city. More than half of that – $6.8 million – has debt forgiveness, Hall said.

Funds for the program were exhausted this year, however. Still, Hall said the city will continue to fund the replacement of any lead services lines between the city’s water main and the shutoff valve that attaches to an individual property’s service line.

He also said the city will also replace a lead service line at no cost to the property owner if city officials incorrectly identified the material of a lead service line while creating its inventory.

“If the city marked a home as non-lead but later discovers that it is lead, the city will pay for the replacement of the shutoff valve to the home,” Hall said. “If we made a mistake we will replace that.”

Additionally, the city will reimburse property owners 50% of the replacement cost if a section of lead service line is later discovered underground, according to city documents.

In April, 46 properties were reported to have at least a partial lead service line connected to their home, according to the city’s inventory, which the city has not publicly updated since April 4, 2024.

Officials said in August, and again on Oct. 21 only five properties with lead service lines remain in the city – all other identified lines have been replaced – however. Of the five remaining properties, four property owners refused to take part in the lead service line replacement program.

Those four property owners live on Wild, Chauncey, Elm and Sacramento streets. City staff said they either refused to sign necessary paperwork to be included in the years-long city funded lead service line replacement program, rescinded initial permission or left areas workers needed to get to inaccessible, according to city documents.

Hall said those property owners won’t benefit from future water service line replacement programs.

“Residents who refused to participate in the no cost lead service line replacement will not be eligible for replacement costs for future service replacement from the shutoff value to the home,” Hall said.

Second Ward Alderperson Chuck Stowe said he’s OK with that.

“I think it’s more than fair,” Stowe said. “Again, compliments go to everybody who made this happen. From where we started, and only having five lines in the city, it’s absolutely amazing.”

The Illinois Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act, which was created to minimize potential lead exposure caused by contaminated drinking water and aging pipe infrastructure, requires Illinois water systems to begin removal of lead service lines no later than Jan. 1, 2027.

The 2021 Illinois law also requires owners and operators of community water supplies to develop, implement and maintain a comprehensive water service line material inventory, and replacement plan.

Sycamore has completed its inventory of service line materials in the city, and removed all but five service lines identified as lead more than two years before the law compels it to have begun replacements.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, any amount of lead exposure can be damaging to a person’s brain. The General Assembly also declared that there is no safe level of exposure to heavy metal lead, and lead service lines can convey the harmful substance to the drinking water supply, according to state documents.

First Ward Alderperson Alan Bauer said he’s happy with how the city drafted the resolution to establish a program to complete the replacement of all lead water service lines in the city.

“I think this really well addresses any of the issues that could potentially come up,” Bauer said. “It sounds like the people have thought it out, what’s the possibilities out there, what could we find later and have a solution for each one of those. [I] appreciate that.”

Sycamore City Council unanimously approved the resolution on Oct. 21, but of the five properties still with a lead water service line, Hall said “there is one exception” the city is willing to make to help a resident.

“One house will be waived, that replacement – he waived it because of a medical condition, so if that comes back we will replace that,” Hall said. “Even though funding is not available, we will do that.