Lockport going door to door to check homes for lead water pipes

Lockport — The city of Lockport will be going door to door in order to finish its ongoing lead service inspections in local water pipes.

According to a news release shared by the Lockport Police Department, the inspections will be taking place in “the older part of town” for the next few weeks.

Lockport Public Works Director Brian Lovering said the buildings in older developments are more likely to have lead service pipes, but the city does not know which buildings still are affected.

Lead service pipes are more likely to be found in buildings built and that last had plumbing put in before 1986. Four buildings were found to have heightened lead levels in February.

The door-to-door inspections are scheduled to take place when people are likely to be home and will happen weekdays between 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be no Sunday inspections.

Residents are encouraged to call the public works department if they have any questions.

The lead service inspections are part of an ongoing project to comply with an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency rule mandating municipalities replace pipes with lead in them. The work is being funded through a state grant program.

Lockport has been working to replace lead piping in the city for several years. The city sent out surveys in fall 2023 to help identify buildings that need work. Replacement work is expected to continue through 2025.