Joleit plans to replace lead water lines at 600 more homes 600 more homes

The city is starting another phase of its program to replace lead service lines that bring water into Joliet homes.

About 800 lead service lines will have been replaced by sometime next year, Utilities Director Allison Swisher said.

The city is in the process of identifying lead service lines, which bring water from the city main to the house, and has an interactive map on its website to help residents determine if their homes may have lead service lines.

The city has not allowed lead to be used in service lines for more than 80 years but it can still be found in older homes.

"It was in the late 1930s that the city didn't allow lead anymore, so it would be in homes built before 1940," Swisher said.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is providing nearly $4 million to fund the next phase of the lead-line replacement program.

About 600 lead service lines will be replaced in Phase Two of the program, Swisher said. Added to lines replaced already in Phase One, the total will be close to 800, she said.

Phase Two targets homes on both the near East and West sides of Joliet.

A map on the city website for the lead program shows the areas covered by each phase. The program has four phases.

The city is taking inventory of service lines in those neighborhoods, and letters have been sent to residents inviting them to participate.

The city provides free inspections to determine if service lines are made of lead and provides free water samples.

A cost-sharing program is in place for service line replacements with the city paying for replacement of the public section of line and property owners paying for the private section running from the sidewalk to the house.