Sycamore city says it’s identified all water service lines in city, latest step in lead remediation

SYCAMORE – There are no longer any unidentified water service lines in the Sycamore public works system, Sycamore Public Works director Matt Anderson said this month.

During the most recent Sycamore City Council meeting, city manager Michael Hall said he wanted to highlight the city’s effort to create an inventory of the materials used for water service lines connected to the city’s public works.

With the inventory completed, officials have identified 69 lead water service lines currently connected to Sycamore’s public works system, Anderson said. With the service line materials inventory completed, the number of lead water service lines in the city is no longer expected to grow. City crews have worked to identify what type of water service lines exist to better determine which are lined with lead and in need of replacement.

“We have zero unknowns now, so that’s excellent, that’s excellent news,” Anderson said.

That’s down from 135 in January, when Anderson 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.

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.

The 2021 Illinois law also requires owners and operators of community water supplies to develop, implement and maintain a comprehensive water service line material inventory, and replacement plan.

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 General Assembly also declared that there is no safe level of exposure to heavy metal lead, and lead service lines can convey the harmful substance to the drinking water supply, according to state documents.

As of March 18, 69 lead water service lines connected to Sycamore’s public works system have been identified, Anderson said.

In January, Hall said the city had 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.

Using that funding, the city Sycamore has a lead service line replacement program that allows lead-lined water service lines on properties in the city be replaced at no cost to the property owners.

The owners of properties with lead service lines are required to fill out a packet of information in order for the free lead service line replacement to commence. As of March 18, 43 packets have been completed, Anderson said.

That means up to 26 properties owners have not yet responded.

Anderson said the city has enough funding from the state to replace all remaining lead service lines in the city, but the property owners have to choose to take part in the program.

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.

In 2023, 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, and 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 ]

Mark Bushnell, Sycamore engineer, said the city has been placing red notices on the doors of the 26 properties that have not yet opted into the city program.

Bushnell said the final notices are set to go out this week, after multiple attempts to reach those residences.

Anderson has said he believes funding from the state will no longer be available in early summer, so he’s pushing to get the remaining property owners to fill out the necessary paperwork for the free lead service line replacement.

Second Ward Alderman Chuck Stowe thanked those involved in the city’s effort to meet the state’s deadline for the water service line inventory mandate. A complete material inventory is due to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency by April 15, according to state documents.

“I mean, it is absolutely amazing. And my nightmares, especially hearing about other towns, especially towns like Chicago – I don’t know how they’re going to solve their problems,” Stowe said. “Every home in town, that’s absolutely amazing, highest commendations I can give you guys.”