Elgin was able to save $800,000 last year in its lead service line replacement program, meaning even more properties can be fixed this year, officials said.
Contractors and city employees “found ways to make (the replacements) go a little easier, more efficiently,” Mayor Dave Kaptain said. “If they save money, they pass it back.”
However, that’s not to say there’s light at the end of the tunnel yet. The city has so far replaced lines at 3,949 homes and still has about 10,000 more to do, officials said.
“We’re making progress,” Kaptain said. “But we have so many to do. It’s going to be a long, long process.”
Elgin awarded two contracts last year to IHC Construction Cos. to replace lead service lines bringing water into people’s homes through the city’s 2025 Lead Service Line Replacement Project. When the work was completed in December, more than $800,000 remained unspent — enough to do another 102 homes beyond the 900 or so planned for 2026, officials said.
Beyond the work done under those two contracts, the city replaces a total of 1,165 lines in 2025.
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Funding for the work is coming from an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency loan, which mandates the city spend the full value of the contract.
Lead service lines are those that convey drinking water from city’s waters main in the street in front people’s home. Water mains are not made of lead and not all houses have lead lines; the majority are in homes built prior to the late-1970s and must be replaced with copper lines.
Lead pipes are dangerous because corrosion can result in lead being leached into the water people consume, posing health hazards like learning and behavioral problems in children and heart issues, high blood pressure and kidney problems in adults.
Each replacement can cost between $12,000 and $15,000, depending on what kind of work that needs to be done. There’s no cost to residents.
The city has funded the program by issuing bonds, increasing water fees, and using money obtained through state and federal loans and grants, including funding available through the American Rescue Plan Act.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has reported there are more than 677,350 lead lines in the state. The 400,000 in Chicago alone will cost an estimated $12 billion to $14 billion to replace.
Money available to fund the work is getting more competitive, according to Josie Beecher-Crotty, Elgin’s communications and engagement manager.
“As communities across Illinois and the nation work to meet state and federal lead service line replacement mandates, competition for grants and low-interest financing will continue to grow,” she said.
Which is why the savings Elgin has been able to achieve is so important, she said. Through records research, field investigations, potholing, water sampling and on-site verification, the city can reduce expenses and determine which properties actually have lead service lines before crews get dispatched, Beecher-Crotty said.
“This prevents unnecessary excavation and keeps funding focused where it is needed most,” she said.
Additionally, city staff, engineers and contractors work closely together, Beecher-Crotty said, which “has also reduced unexpected complications in the field, resulting in shorter timelines, lower costs and more replacements completed with the funding available.”
Elgin residents who have not already signed up to participate in the program need to go to elginil.gov/tce. The process starts with signing a temporary easement waiver and agreeing to an inspection before work begins.
Participation in the program has been strong, Beecher-Crotty said. As awareness of the program’s long-term public health and financial benefits has grown so has resident cooperation, she said.
“The city has implemented a comprehensive outreach strategy that includes direct mailings, door-to-door communication, community events and public education initiatives,” she said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.