Mount Prospect picking up tab for lead service line replacements

Mount Prospect trustees said they support the village footing the entire bill — including work on private property — for the replacement of lead service lines that feed water to homes.

Village board members gave direction to staff last week after hearing a presentation from Public Works Director Sean Dorsey and Kaitlin Wright of consultant engineer Baxter and Woodman.

The project would be funded by two bond issues, Finance Director Amit Thakkar said.

All communities in the state must fully replace the lines in their water systems starting in 2027, at a rate of 7% per year for 15 years.

Of the more than 11,000 service lines in the village that serve more than 41,000 customers, 700 lines contain lead or galvanized iron.

“In the eyes of the law galvanized (iron) really is considered lead,” Wright said at Tuesday’s committee-of-the-whole meeting.

Wright estimated the village will have to replace about 47 lines each year at a cost of as much as $754,000 per year.

A full replacement involves removing the part of the line on public property running to the exterior shut-off valve, or B-Box, but also removing the part on private property that runs from the B-Box to the water meter.

The village already has a cost-sharing program that is paying 100% on the public side when it does a water main replacement, while also paying, on the private side, 66% of the cost up to $10,000 of replacement between the B-Box and the meter.

Dorsey said 20 to 25 homeowners have participated

“It seems prudent to me that we would make an offer to go back and then reimburse them for the amount they contributed,” Dorsey said.

As for concerns about lead in the village’s water system, Dorsey said that the village receives drinking water from Chicago, which uses orthophosphate to protect pipes from corrosion.

“It’s got that barrier that keeps it from leaching into the drinking water,” Dorsey said.