Soon after the Waukegan City Council approved expenditures of just over $3.9 million to replace lead pipes bringing water to 411 Waukegan buildings, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) awarded the city an interest-free loan covering the costs.
Part of a long-term federally mandated project to remove all lead pipes carrying water to approximately 9,000 homes and other buildings in Waukegan, city engineer Jesus Alquicira said he hopes to start the current phase of the work as soon as possible.
Waukegan is one of two Lake County cities along with Fox Lake to receive assistance on July 26 from the IEPA’s revolving fund administering money from the federal government to replace lead water pipes in their communities.
With an interest-free loan of slightly more than $4 million, Alquicira said the $85,186 surplus can be used to replace the lead pipes in additional homes. The loan must be repaid in semiannual installments over 30 years.
“It will help us increase the number of lead service line replacements,” Alquicira said. “We’re going to use it as efficiently as possible.”
Fox Lake will be able to replace approximately 167 lead service lines with a forgivable loan of slightly more than $2.1 million. Once the work is done, the loan will be forgiven by the IEPA, according to a news release from the agency.
Finding outside funding for the lead pipe replacement rather than using tax revenue or requiring homeowners to pay is a goal set by Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor when the city started planning the project nearly three years ago.
“We’ll apply for these loans every year as well as grants from other sources,” Taylor said. “Receiving 0% loans or forgiveness is something we’ll continue to do It’s something we’ll actively pursue.”
Without the IEPA help, Taylor said it will take much longer to replace the lead pipes which is a health hazard. Meanwhile, the available support is what the city needs to prevent hardship.
“It’s not an expense a lot of our residents can bear,” Taylor said. “For many people it would mean they would lose their property.”
People who live in homes built after 1986 most likely do not have lead pipes. Regardless, Alquicira said residents who have not completed the city’s survey about their piping situation should do so because the program is ongoing.
Going to the city’s website, Alquicira said participants should let the City know if they are an owner or renter, and whether the property is residential or commercial. They should take a picture of the area from the water meter to the wall and upload it.
Between the interest-free and forgivable loans, the state is providing approximately $75 million in the latest round of funding, according to a news release from the IEPA. The funding is for drinking water, stormwater and wastewater projects.
Nidhan Singh, the deputy manager of the revolving fund, said 49% of the distribution goes to communities receiving forgivable loans like Fox Lake and the remainder, such as the funds designated for Waukegan, requires no-interest payments over the life of the loan.
Singh said Waukegan also received a $150,000 grant in February to help pay for a “highly skilled professional” to help conduct the city’s inventory of its lead service lines.
Interim IEPA Director James Jennings said in the press release getting lead out of drinking water throughout the state is a priority. Lead is a toxic metal that can enter drinking water when pipes corrode. It can accumulate in a person’s body over time.
“Our robust state revolving fund provides communities the essential funding needed to remove these lead service lines sooner, eliminating the potential threat of lead in drinking water,” Jennings said in the release.
