Significantly higher levels of lead were found in 70 of the 101 Elgin homes and buildings checked during the city’s regular semiannual drinking water test, city officials said.
Levels measured 56.7 parts per billion, far exceeding the 15 parts per billion amount that triggers a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s action plan and requires the public to be notified, according to a city news release.
EPA officials mandate that action be taken when more than 10% of homes tested have lead in water levels above 15 parts per billion. Testing is done every six months in communities that have homes with lead water service lines per EPA rules.
The most recent testing was done late last year.
Individual water lines made of lead going into homes are typically the source of it being found in the water; homes with with lines made from copper or other substances are not affected. Elgin’s water supply taken from the Fox River contains no lead, officials said.
Assistant City Manager Karina Nava said the city has reached out to property owners whose water tested over the limit.
“The city has those addresses on record and contacts the homeowners to provide information and answer any questions,” Nava said.
Homes and buildings constructed before 1988 are more likely to have lead service lines.
“This monitoring period’s results are much higher than previous monitoring periods for the city,” the news release said. “This is due to changes in the regulation and how a sample is required to be collected and tested.”
Previously, samples were collected in a one-liter bottle after the water was not in use for at least six hours,” the release said. “The test results were representative of the home’s premise plumbing.”
It’s now required that five one-liter bottles be collected, with the fifth bottle being tested for lead.
“This is representative of water that was sitting in the home’s lead service line,” the release said. “In most cases, the results are a higher lead concentration than was previously seen in testing results.”
Elgin has the second-largest number of lead service lines outside of Chicago, Mayor Dave Kaptain said at his 2026 State of the City address presented this week at Elgin Community College.
The city has been systematically been replacing the lead service lines over several years at no cost to residents, Kaptain said.
About $13 million in American Rescue Plan Act given to the city was earmarked for the work, and Elgin has sold bonds and tapped other financial sources to fund the replacement effort.
Consultants initially estimated it would cost $120 million over 10 years to complete, he said.
“The latest estimate is $150 million,” Kaptain said. “We have replaced a couple of thousand lines … but the cost has gone up.”
To date, 2,790 lines have been replaced of the 10,000 or so that need to be removed. Another 1,000 are budgeted for this year.
The EPA is requiring Elgin to replace the lines over the next seven years, Kaptain said. There also have been changes in the way drinking water is monitored and treated, he said. Elgin has adapted, but the challenges will continue, he said.
When consumed, lead presents health dangers, especially to pregnant women and children. It can cause brain and kidney damage as well as behavioral problems and slowed growth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
