Approximately 20% of the water pipes leading into Waukegan’s homes and businesses are made of lead, rather than the more modern galvanized steel or copper in newer buildings. The city is in the beginning stages of replacing them.

The city finalized and submitted its plan to replace all of its lead water pipes to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Thursday, taking the next step to keep lead out of the town’s drinking water with funding help from the federal and state governments.

Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor said ever since the Flint, Michigan, water crisis in 2014, the city began looking at its own water infrastructure to take steps to assure the city’s water was safe and would remain so.

“We didn’t have any choice because of what happened in Flint,” she said. “We don’t want the drinking water in any home to have a chance of having lead in it. Even homes built in the ‘20s, ‘30s, ‘40s or even the ‘50s could have lead pipes.”

Jesus Alquicira, the city engineer, said the study done to develop the plan for the IEPA showed approximately 9,000 of the city’s roughly 45,000 service pipes leading from a water main into a building are made of lead. It will cost approximately $90 million over 20 or more years.

“We’re going to help as many people as we can as soon as we can,” Alquicira said.

Taylor said most of the lead pipe connections are to homes and businesses in the older parts of Waukegan, some of which were built in the 19th century.

When the city’s water supply comes out of Lake Michigan into its water plant, Alquicira said it is then treated, goes into the distribution network and eventually into water mains where it is not exposed to lead. Connectors on some of the mains are made of lead.

“The IEPA does not consider them a hazard because the water is always flowing,” Alquicira said referring to the connectors fastening some of the main’s pipes together.

From the water main, Alquicira said the water flows into service lines which lead to the buildings where people live or work. Approximately 9,000 of those pipes are made of lead. When water sits in them some lead can seep from the pipes into the water.

Alquicira said the IEPA is required to approve or modify the plan within six months, which means the project could start next year. That timing is a year ahead of when the plan must be operational.

Funding for the initial studies and plans came from the $19.7 million the city received from the American Rescue Plan last year. That money may pay for more of the effort, as well as a state program through the IEPA to receive forgivable loans of up to $4 million a year for five or more years.

“The loan is for engineering and construction costs,” Alquicira said. “We’re starting with day care centers, schools and playgrounds. Lead has a stronger affect on youngsters up to 5 years old. The state mandates we start where children congregate.”

Along with the forgivable loans, the Waukegan City Council unanimously approved formal requests of $500,000 to U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, and $400,000 from U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin on May 16.

If the city hopes to pay for most of the effort through the forgivable loans, Alquicira said it will take more than 22 years. Though the state forgives the loans, the city must prove it can repay the funding.

Alquicira said he is not concerned about showing the ability to repay the debt because at $2.73 per 1,000 gallons, Waukegan has a water rate nearly half of that in other nearby municipalities. As long as the city can show the means to repay, the loan is forgiven and the IPEA funds the project.