Sycamore has half a year left with state grants to replace lead service lines

SYCAMORE – As the city of Sycamore continues its efforts to replace lead-lined water pipes as required by a 2021 Illinois law, city leaders have now identified another goal: updating the city’s water master plan to guide future infrastructure needs.

Matt Anderson, head of Sycamore Public Works, said at one time there were nearly 7,000 water service lines connected to the community water supply composed of materials unknown to the city.

That number has since been reduced to 135, Anderson said.

“We don’t know what the materials are [at the 135 remaining addresses]. So we’re kind of doing two things. We’ve sent out mailers again, we did it in December again. We might even go door to door on some of these, we’re just waiting for people to respond. Everybody in town has been notified probably at least three or four times, probably at least four if they have unknown or if they are listed as lead in our service to get them to participate in this,” Anderson said.

Sycamore’s lead service line replacement program allows lead-lined water service lines on properties in the city be replaced at no cost to the property owners. 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 replacement efforts come after years of resident outcry about the quality of drinking water in people’s homes.

In the fall 2020, residents said they wanted to bring awareness to city officials that discolored, foul-smelling water comes out of their homes’ taps and they refuse to use it. Those complaints soon turned into a larger fear that high levels of toxic lead, which can cause severe health problems, was prevalent in city water.

The city has maintained that Sycamore water is safe to drink.

[ Sycamore settles $6M class action lawsuit over water quality, commits to annual infrastructure improvements ]

Sycamore lead-lined water pipe replacement ongoing

Sycamore City Manager Michael Hall on Tuesday said the city has 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.

About 75 addresses inside the city of Sycamore have been identified to have lead water services lines, Anderson said earlier this month. The replacement of the service lines at those addresses are expected to resume in February. Anderson said the final portion of the inventory process has been slowed by paperwork, however.

“We’re trying to get them scheduled. And then it’s, the other problem we’re running into is with the people we’ve identified – they have to submit a packet back to us essentially giving the contractor permission to do the work, and we need to get those back,” Anderson said.

As of early January, the city has 30 completed packets from the owners of properties with lead service lines, Anderson said. With 135 addresses left to inventory, he thinks there’s enough remaining funding to replace the lead service lines that are identified during the final inspections. However, the state funding doesn’t stick around forever.

“We still have funding, I think we may have funding to replace all of these,” Anderson said. “All of the lead for sure, and then whatever portion of those unknowns that are actually found to be lead. I think we would have funding for that through this forgivable loan. The issue is I think our funding will exhaust or no longer be available after I think June 30, [2024], so that’s the push.”

At a City Council meeting on Oct. 16, 2023, First Ward Alan Bauer said he replaced his home’s lead service line years ago.

“Your flow and pressures are going to be greatly improved. So it’s worthwhile to get this done. And you can’t beat it, it costs a lot less than what I paid to have it done,” Bauer said at the time.

Residents unsure of the material of the water service line their home uses can find the city’s water service material inventory, and a form to request a replacement at www.cityofsycamore.com/water-service-material-survey/.

In 2019, Sycamore hired Trotter and Associates Inc. to complete a water master plan – a prerequisite for the millions of dollars of loans the city has received from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency over the past couple of years.

With that document approaching five years old, city staff recommended City Council once again retain the services of Trotter and Associates to update the plan. According to city documents, the update will include an evaluation of the overall impact of completed water improvements, the identification of new priorities based on changing regulatory requirements and make recommendations based on documented changes in the water system and water system operations.

Fourth Ward Alderman Ben Bumpus asked city officials how public engagement can be included in the creation of the 2024 water master plan. He was told public comments were considered in 2019 and an updated matrix for the plan can be developed based on public comments.

Bumpus also said he wanted to ensure new state regulations are folded into the 2024 water master plan.

Robert Scott Trotter, of Trotter and Associates, was at Tuesday’s meeting and responded to Bumpus’ question.

“That’s typically included in the scope and included in the scope of this study will address all legislation changes that happened since the 2019 plan was formed, and as well to develop recommendations and projects if necessary to address those issues. So it is included in the overall scope,” Trotter said. “They’re [state regulations are] becoming stricter and in addition with that there’s some timelines that are involved with them.”

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.

Sycamore city officials said they’ve nearly completed the city-wide inventory of water service lines. Service line replacement has been offered to residents since 2020. The city has done more than other large municipalities in the state, but Sycamore officials have faced pressure from citizens to look into the city’s water quality since the turn of the decade.

One year ago, the city of Sycamore agreed to settle a $6 million class action lawsuit filed by area residents in 2020 alleging the city’s negligence in maintaining water quality, steering millions toward infrastructure and increased water testing, records show.

The city will be required to pay an average of $1.2 million toward water quality improvements and also pay for additional testing of lead and chlorine levels, according to the settlement agreement reached out of court last year. The settlement did not find the city of Sycamore liable for any wrongdoing.

According to documents secured through Freedom of Information Act requests, the city of Sycamore spent a $2.2 million – total – on public works projects between 2015 and 2021. The city spent $6 million in 2022 alone.

Some residents of the city of Sycamore have used a Facebook group, Citizens for Clean Water Sycamore, Illinois to advocate for local officials to address concerns about the water in Sycamore since at least 2020. More than 200 signs were place in Sycamore yards by resident to express their dissatisfaction with the city’s water quality, according to a post in the social media group.

The signs are the latest in a years-long effort by Sycamore residents to voice both concerns that their water was unusable or dangerous to consume and allegations that the city wasn’t doing enough about it.

On Tuesday, Sycamore City Council unanimously approved a new $56,240 contract with Trotter and Associates, for the completion of the 2024 water master plan. Second Ward Alderperson Pete Paulsen was absent from the meeting, and his counterpart Chuck Stowe arrived after the vote.

Hall said the 2024 water master plan will help the city prepare for other foreseeable public works projects.

“The update is critical to the implementation of one of the largest proposals that we have coming up, which is a water main project in 2025 and some radium removal contracts that expire in 2027,” Hall said.