PEORIA — Residents who live in older homes are being strongly encouraged by city officials and Illinois American Water to be cognizant of the potential for the presence of lead in their water service lines.
This urging comes after a test run by Illinois American Water this year found that 14 homes in the Peoria area, of roughly 100 that were tested, had high levels of lead in their water that exceeded the level required for action.
Lead water service lines in Peoria have long been an issue but some Peorians were surprised last month when a notice went out from Illinois American Water, alerting residents to the testing results.
On Tuesday night, a representative from Illinois American Water came before the Peoria City Council to provide an update on the lead water service line situation. The sum of the presentation is two-fold: Illinois American Water is still working to replace lead service lines throughout the city and if you think you might have lead service lines in your home, contact Illinois American Water or visit its website.
Councilmember Andre Allen, who represents the 4th District, had some concerns about how Illinois American Water sent out its notice, saying it caused some “hysteria” and there is now an opportunity to improve communication moving forward.
Does your home have lead water service lines?
Illinois American Water counted 10,576 lead service lines in Peoria. A majority of those are in Peoria’s older neighborhoods. Illinois American Water has roughly 64,000 retail connections in the Peoria area, according to a 2020 report. Many older homes in Peoria, especially those built in the 1920s through the 1940s, could have lead water service lines supplying water to them.
In 2021, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law the Lead Service Line Replacement Notification Act, which mandated full lead service lines be replaced. Illinois American Water has been replacing lead service water mains in Peoria for years. It began ramping up efforts to replace lead service water lines in 2018.
Lead water service lines were banned nationally in 1986 via the Safe Water Drinking Act. If a home was built after 1986, it is unlikely to have lead water service lines.
Illinois American Water, in response to a question from Mayor Rita Ali, said priority for replacement of lead water service lines will be given to locations where there is an exceedance of lead found or where service lines have leaks. Age of a home and age of infrastructure are also highly prioritized.
Illinois American Water covers the cost of lead service line replacements when they are the ones that initiate the replacement. If a customer chooses to replace their lines on their own, they would have to pay out of their own pocket.
The best way to determine if your home may have lead water service lines is to visit the Illinois American Water website and view their Customer Service Line Material Map.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Illinois American Water provides update on lead service lines in Peoria
Reporting by JJ Bullock, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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