DeKalb city continues plan for lead service line replacement

DeKALB – A contract authorized this week for design engineering services for lead service line replacement marks the latest action taken by DeKalb city leaders to help ensure that all residents may have access to clean water to drink.

The City Council this week approved a $79,836 contract between DeKalb and Engineering Enterprises Inc. for design engineering for the lead service line replacement program. The city, like all municipalities in the state, is under a mandate signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker in 2021 requiring that all Illinois public water supplies remove all lead service lines within their distribution system.

City Manager Bill Nicklas stressed that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has given the city a deadline.

“By June, by about this time next year – a little bit earlier this time next year – we have to be in process, and we have to have an accepted plan,” Nicklas said. “Time is of the essence now.”

DeKalb officials said the mandate poses a challenge to the city as it requires authorities to replace all lead service lines, both public and private.

The IEPA required all municipalities to submit an inventory report by April 15 to the agency, outlining where and how many lead service lines were. It’s not clear when line replacements will be completed, though state law outlines a decadeslong process in some cases, especially for larger cities including Chicago, Capitol News Illinois reported. Illinois’ Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act also establishes timelines for replacement based on the number of lead service lines within a community starting in 2027. Community water supplies with fewer than 1,200 lines have the shortest deadline of 2042, while supplies like Chicago, with more than 99,999 lines have until 2077, Capitol News Illinois reported.

In examining the city’s water supplies, the public portion typically runs from the water main to the shut-off box. The private portion maintained by the property owner is usually from the sidewalk to inside the home.

In the lead-up to Monday’s council meeting, city staff noted that they’ve spent “many hours” inventorying line material for all 10,716 water service lines in the city, documents show.

The city, at the direction of the IEPA, is treating lead and galvanized service lines, which are downstream of the lead service line, in the same manner, according to city documents. Both must be replaced in their entirety.

To date, the city has identified 77 lead service lines and 44 galvanized requiring replacement. That makes for at least a minimum of 121 lead service lines in the community in need of replacement.

The city’s Utilities Division is in the process of identifying if lead service lines exist or have ever existed at the 151 galvanized service line and 79 unknown properties, city documents show. If lead is found to be present, this would add another 230 service lines in the community needing replacement. That makes for a maximum of 351 lead service lines requiring replacement.

To date, the city has replaced 85 lead service lines in the community largely using an allocation of a portion of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act grant monies. Lead service line replacement assisted by public funds also is a strategy neighboring Sycamore has implemented. DeKalb’s population is more than twice that of Sycamore.

DeKalb has enlisted Engineering Enterprises Inc. to assist with developing a lead service line replacement program and securing additional funding to make it happen, city documents show.

Nicklas said the city also is turning to the IEPA for some financial assistance.

In March 2022, the city received notice that it will get $2.3 million in principal loan forgiveness from the IEPA to use toward lead service line replacements. DeKalb city leaders wanted to ensure that they are satisfying all the requirements set forth by the IEPA to accept the $2.3 million in principal loan forgiveness.

“They have a very good program out here,” Nicklas said. “They are as committed as any other agency to see that this is accomplished at the local level.”