Lead water pipes in Naperville residential area being replaced as part of new water main installation – Chicago Tribune

The old underground lead lines that serve Naperville single-family homes on Wright and Columbia streets in the area where a new townhouse project is being built will be replaced next month.

According to construction manager Mark Papa, a new water main was installed to accommodate the needs of residents of the Heritage Place townhouse under construction on the site of the former Little Friends lot.

Naperville is taking advantage of the situation to swap out the service lines to homes in the area, Papa said.

Work is scheduled to begin Wednesday, installing new utility lines and replacing all pipes, which are made of lead. Construction work is expected to last a month, weather permitting.

Last year, Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation mandating the complete replacement of lead drinking water pipes over the next 20 years.

Of the 43,843 compounds in Naperville, 368 were found to be leading as of April 2021, according to a report by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

The city has replaced lead utility lines where possible, mostly in conjunction with water line projects.

Under recently imposed IEPA requirements, the city must notify residents when their water meter is replaced and when there is a water line replacement or repair within a block of their location.

Both of these can cause lead to come loose from the pipes and into the water, according to the city’s website.

The city reported that about 25 lead utility lines were replaced in 2021 as part of water main works in the Naperville Heights area.

Officials said other lead lines will be replaced when water lines are replaced in the following areas: Park Extension, West Highlands, Bay Colony, Mill Ponds, Baileywood, Martin’s Second Extension, River North, Kingston Green, Brush Hill, Indian Hill, Wil – O Way, Columbia Estates, Bennington, Maplebrook and Hawthorn Square.

Residents can also elect to replace their leading service lines with Naperville’s rebate program in their own timeframe.

Water customers who have at least a portion of their water supply line leaded and who are replacing the entire length of their water supply line qualify for the program.

Discounts are either $2,550 or $4,250 depending on which side of the street the water pipe is on.

Details on the application process can be found on the city’s website under “Water Quality”.

In 1936, Naperville required all water supply lines to be “extra heavy-duty lead pipe.” Twelve years later, the city allowed copper pipes in addition to lead.

The US EPA banned lead piping in construction in 1986, although existing lead piping was allowed to remain. Water circulating through lead pipes is safe to consume unless something causes tremors in the pipe, such as a bang. B. Constructions that may result in the release of lead fragments.

By 2014, lead was banned nationwide in plumbing and plumbing.

Even low blood lead levels in children can lead to behavior and learning problems, lower IQ and hyperactivity, slowed growth, hearing problems, and anemia, according to the US EPA.

Adults exposed to lead can experience cardiovascular effects, increased blood pressure, decreased kidney function, and reproductive problems in both men and women, the EPA warns.

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