Des Plaines to spend $134 million to replace lead pipes
Des Plaines officials plan to spend $134 million over 20 years replacing water service lines made from lead or galvanized steel.
The city council on Monday voted to make the city responsible for the cost of replacing those potentially dangerous pipes on private property, which previously would’ve been a property owner’s responsibility.
“Replacing lead pipes ensures the safety and well-being of all residents and ensures everyone has access to clean and safe drinking water,” city spokeswoman Maureen Stern said in an email.
Lead can build up in the body over time, and no amount is considered safe to ingest, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In children, low levels of exposure have been linked to damage to the peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities and other health problems.
After experts discovered ingesting lead is dangerous in the mid-20th century, builders switched to steel pipes coated in zinc, a process called galvanization. But that coating diminishes over time and pipes can corrode, leading to water contamination.
The U.S. EPA and the Illinois EPA have mandated all local governments that oversee water supplies submit lead line replacement plans by April 2027. Both agencies have said pipes must be replaced regardless of who owns the lines.
Des Plaines officials are conducting an inventory of buildings with lead or galvanized steel pipes and have discovered more than 6,200 so far.
The pipe replacement project will begin in earnest after environmental officials approve the city’s plan sometime after April 2027. But crews already have replaced pipes at about 60 properties in the last three or four years while replacing nearby water mains, Public Works and Engineering Director Tim Oakley told the council Monday.
Most of the work will be done outside buildings. The city will target pipes leading to water meters, not all the pipes within homes, Oakley said. Specifically, the city will replace lead or galvanized pipes leading to the first shut-off valve in a house or such pipes that extend at least 18 inches into a structure, whichever is shorter, documents indicate.
The city will install 1-inch diameter copper or PVC pipes, depending on the situation, Stern said.
Property owners who would prefer 1.5-inch pipes will pay the difference, typically $5 per foot. That could amount to between $150 and $200 per site, Oakley said.
The city won’t be responsible for restoring drywall, painting, replacing carpet or flooring or other types of finishing work, according to the ordinance. It won’t pay for exterior repairs that might be necessary after pipes are replaced, either, such as bush or tree replacement or repairs to retaining walls or landscape lighting systems.
Wheeling is among the relatively few suburbs that already have completed such projects. Mount Prospect officials in February said that the village should cover the entire cost of pipe replacement there.