An initial inventory identified up to 3,000 properties within the city of Monmouth that could have lead water service lines that need to be replaced by 2042 to comply with a state mandate.
With replacements costing $6,000 to $10,000 each, it’s a massive — and expensive —undertaking for the city to replace the lines at no cost to homeowners.
But with forgivable loans and a congressional appropriation, the city is narrowing in on the scope.
Brayden Bledsoe, the city’s director of public works, said more half of the lines are considered “unknowns,” meaning their material has not yet been confirmed.
“So as we get going through this, that number could drop dramatically,” Bledsoe said. “They could be copper, or already could be plastic.”
Bledsoe said Monmouth’s water meets all health and safety standards, but the city still has to comply with the mandate.
He said the city gets calls from residents who know they have lead water lines, wondering if it’s dangerous.
“Frankly, it’s going to be good to have them removed,” Bledsoe said. “But we’ve never had a hit on our sampling to where we’re over the limit for the state of Illinois.”
What’s been replaced — and what’s next
Bledsoe said, so far, the city has not paid out of pocket for inventorying lead lines or replacing them.
The city is wrapping up its first major phase, funded by a $2.7 million fully forgivable loan from the Illinois EPA. All work for that phase was required to take place south of Broadway.
“That was to pick up lower-income homes and older homes,” Bledsoe said. “On that end of town, we’ve seen a higher concentration of lead. So it makes sense.”
With those initial funds, contractors replaced 150 full lead service lines and inspected 171 more to determine their material.
Bledsoe said most replacements take less than a day. The process replaces the entire service line, from the water main in the street all the way into the home, and installs a new curb stop. The new plastic service lines last around 50 years.
The city has secured additional funds for the next phase. That includes $970,000 in federal funds secured by U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen.
Bledsoe said the city has been approved for an additional $3 million in state revolving funds, which includes a $2.5 million forgivable loan and a $562,000 no-interest loan.
How many lines that money will cover depends largely on what crews find as they begin digging into more unknowns.
“If we could snap our fingers and get it done, it would be great,” Bledsoe said. “But it’s a huge undertaking.”
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