Lockport officials recently reported elevated levels of lead in drinking water in four homes with known lead pipes, but officials said lead pipes to three homes have since been replaced by the city.
City officials test the water quality twice a year, under state and federal regulations, of 30 homes with known lead water service lines, plumbing or pipes, said Brent Cann, director of public works and engineering.
For both testing periods in 2023, the same three homes reported elevated levels of lead, Cann said. The city replaced the pipes for those homeowners, Cann said, and about $10,000 was budgeted from the city’s water sewer fund per house for the repairs.
The renovation work, which included replacing city and homeowner owned pipes, was completed by December, he said.
During the second 2023 testing sample, Cann said a fourth home reported elevated levels of lead, Cann said. City officials plan to cover the cost to replace the lead pipes to this home along with any other homes found to have high levels of lead in the 2024 sampling, he said.
City officials have to notify residents if more than 10% of homes report water with 15 parts per billion of lead, according to a city news release.
Cann said the lead in the identified homes might have come from the pipe service on the city side, the pipe service the homeowner owns or from a faucet or piping inside the home. Lead is not present in Lockport’s water source or distribution system, officials said.
The homes are on the original part of the city, Cann said, so between 2nd and 19th streets to Madison Street to the east and Vine Street to the west.
Cann said city officials have been tasked by state and federal regulations to test the water in buildings built before 1986 to look for sources of lead in the water system. Residents can reach out to the city to request a test or do a visual inspection of their pipes, he said.
“They want us to find known lead lines,” Cann said.
Lead can affect the cardiovascular system, decrease kidney function and cause reproductive problems in adults, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In children, lead can cause behavior and learning problems, lower IQ and hyperactivity, slowed growth, hearing problems and anemia, according to the EPA.
Residents can run faucets, use cold water for cooking, test water, use filters and replace plumbing fixtures containing lead to reduce lead exposure, officials said.
The city has replaced about 62 publicly owned portions of lead water service lines since 2019, officials said. The city has more than 170 known lead water service lines, with the possibility of unknown lead water service lines, so more testing and work will be done, Cann said.
“This is being done in an effort to continue to provide clean, safe water. As problems arise, we will address them as quickly and effectively as we can,” Cann said.
akukulka@chicagotribune.com
